Lelystad: population and statistics
Lelystad has a population of 85,781 (2026) across 234.1 km², or 366 people per km². It ranks 45 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +11.7% between 2016 and 2026.
- 85,781 residents
- 234.1 km²
- 366 people/km²
- −3 m
Key points
Among the 6 municipalities in Flevoland, Lelystad ranks No. 2 by population.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: 1.9% in Lelystad, compared with an average of 1.7% in Flevoland and 1.6% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 15.8% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,061 kWh a year here.
Lelystad in numbers
Where is Lelystad?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Dronten16 km · 45,443
- Urk18 km · 22,431
- Zeewolde21 km · 24,612
- Harderwijk21 km · 50,655
- Almere23 km · 232,619
- Enkhuizen24 km · 18,738
- Ermelo26 km · 28,199
- Noordoostpolder26 km · 51,930
All municipalities in Flevoland
All municipalities in Flevoland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Lelystad over time
Lelystad had 76,792 residents in 2016 and 85,781 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 79,811 |
| 2022 | 81,214 |
| 2023 | 83,033 |
| 2024 | 84,080 |
| 2025 | 84,713 |
| 2026 | 85,781 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Flevoland for “Single-person households”.
- Number 1 in Flevoland for “Housing association dwellings”.
- “Area of solar parks”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Share of residents aged 65 and over”: lower than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 32,782 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Dronten, 15.5 km away.
All indicators for Lelystad
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 18.4% | 16.3% | 23.6% | ranked 311 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 16.6% | 17.6% | 14.8% | ranked 48 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 1.3 ‰ | 4.1 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 63 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 6.2 ‰ | 8.2 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 177 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 36,017 dwellings | 187,200 | 8,274,510 | ranked 50 of 342 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 79.7% | 76.2% | 79.5% | ranked 170 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 62.1% | 64.3% | 66.7% | ranked 246 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 28.3% | 25.3% | 23.7% | ranked 82 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 394,000 € | 414,243 € | 438,000 € | ranked 243 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 26.5 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 50 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 690 m³ | 533 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 315 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,820 kWh | 2,815 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 163 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 23% | 39% | 7% | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 46% | 44% | 46% | ranked 168 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 10% | 10% | 12% | ranked 223 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 105 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 5 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 78.6% | 61.8% | 90.3% | ranked 305 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 16.0% | 32.9% | 0.1% | ranked 16 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,100 kWh | 1,112 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 3,573 Wp | 2,961 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 33 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 215.4 ‰ | 195.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 195 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 56,700 € | 60,660 € | 63,450 € | ranked 276 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 11,175 | 64,400 | 2,612,530 | ranked 45 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 130.3 ‰ | 139.1 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 213 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.9% | 1.7% | 1.5% | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.3% | ranked 62 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 447 ‰ | 441 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 281 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 2.8 km | 6.6 km | 4.6 km | ranked 240 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.3 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 35.4% | 33.5% | 33.3% | ranked 119 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 43.5 ‰ | 37.4 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 64 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 17.6 ‰ | 15.0 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 65 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.8 ‰ | 3.6 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 84 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.6 ‰ | 4.4 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 32 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | ranked 106 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 522 kg | 452 kg | 468 kg | ranked 94 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 14.7% | 25.8% | 16.8% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 51.1% | 47.5% | 58.8% | ranked 207 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 29.7% | 18.4% | 11.7% | ranked 62 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.3 km | 1.3 km | 1.2 km | ranked 118 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Lelystad | Flevoland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 25.4% | 27.7% | 28.5% | ranked 249 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Lelystad: indicators over time
Indicators available for several years. Hover over or tap a chart to read the value for each year.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler
78.6% in 2022, compared with 81.0% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
16.0% in 2022, compared with 15.4% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
3,573 Wp in 2025, compared with 846 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
215.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 86.1 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
43.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 55.2 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
17.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 24.9 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 6.0 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
5.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 6.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Lelystad
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 3.9 |
| February | 38 | 3.9 |
| March | 83 | 6.1 |
| April | 132 | 9.7 |
| May | 160 | 13.4 |
| June | 169 | 16.6 |
| July | 165 | 18.4 |
| August | 138 | 17.9 |
| September | 98 | 15.5 |
| October | 57 | 11.9 |
| November | 27 | 7.5 |
| December | 17 | 4.9 |
Business sectors: Lelystad
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical15.8% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade15.7% ×1.2
- Construction14.5% ×1.4
- Health and social work11.7% ×1.1
- Administrative and support services6.4% ×1.2
- Information and communication6.0% ×1.1
- Other service activities5.8% ×1.1
- Education4.8% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Lelystad?
Lelystad has 85,781 residents (2026), ranking 45 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Lelystad?
Lelystad covers 234.1 km², with a density of 366 people per km².
Is the population of Lelystad growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Lelystad went from 76,792 to 85,781, a change of +11.7%.
Where is Lelystad?
Lelystad is in Flevoland. It belongs to Flevoland (COROP region). Latitude 52.517, longitude 5.483.
Area of solar parks: what is the figure for Lelystad?
In Lelystad, “Area of solar parks” stands at 105 ha (2022), ranking 5 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 0 ha.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Lelystad?
In Lelystad, “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65” stands at 1.9% (2026), ranking 14 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.5%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Lelystad?
In Lelystad, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,061 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Lelystad?
The nearest to Lelystad are Dronten (16 km), Urk (18 km), Zeewolde (21 km), Harderwijk (21 km), Almere (23 km).