Ameland: population and statistics
Ameland has a population of 3,816 (2026) across 54.2 km², or 70.4 people per km². It ranks 339 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +5.7% between 2016 and 2026.
- 3,816 residents
- 54.2 km²
- 70 people/km²
- 0 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Ameland ranks No. 16 by population.
Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65: 0.4% in Ameland, compared with an average of 4.1% in Friesland and 3.5% nationally.
Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international): −6.8 ‰ in Ameland, compared with an average of 5.8 ‰ in Friesland and 6.0 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Accommodation and food services, with 20.0% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 41° generates about 1,051 kWh a year here.
Ameland in numbers
Where is Ameland?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Noardeast-Fryslân23 km · 45,935
- Dantumadiel24 km · 19,231
- Leeuwarden28 km · 130,162
- Terschelling29 km · 4,834
- Schiermonnikoog32 km · 972
- Tytsjerksteradiel32 km · 32,874
- Waadhoeke32 km · 47,158
- Achtkarspelen36 km · 28,254
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Noord-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Ameland over time
Ameland had 3,611 residents in 2016 and 3,816 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,746 |
| 2022 | 3,757 |
| 2023 | 3,840 |
| 2024 | 3,839 |
| 2025 | 3,800 |
| 2026 | 3,816 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants”.
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Average natural gas use per dwelling”.
- “Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international)”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Housing stock”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 7,588 football pitches.
- Its population density is 7.7 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Ameland
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 | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 25.5% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 95 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.1% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 230 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.4 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 251 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | −6.8 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 340 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 1,913 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 339 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 20.9% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 67 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 17.8% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 213 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 77.8% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 194 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 67.6% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 154 of 342 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 373,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 272 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 47.9 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 4 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,080 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 12 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,920 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 8% | 7% | 7% | ranked 100 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 39% | 48% | 46% | ranked 251 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 19% | 12% | 12% | ranked 11 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 10 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 79 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 81.2% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 295 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,290 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 154 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 3,225 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 46 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 280.3 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 39 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business establishments (2026) | 745 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 339 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 195.2 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 11 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 0.4% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 342 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 531 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 128 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 39.1 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 4 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.0 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 41.1% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 45 of 342 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.6 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 332 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 1,090 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 3 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 6.1% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 324 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 34.8% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 264 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 53.2% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 13 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.2 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 10 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Ameland | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 24.0% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 277 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Ameland: 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
81.2% in 2022, compared with 89.1% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
3,225 Wp in 2025, compared with 2,086 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
280.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 81.9 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
24.5 ‰ in 2024, compared with 29.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Ameland
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 4.9 |
| February | 35 | 4.4 |
| March | 81 | 5.6 |
| April | 130 | 8.3 |
| May | 160 | 11.6 |
| June | 165 | 14.9 |
| July | 162 | 17.2 |
| August | 136 | 17.6 |
| September | 92 | 15.9 |
| October | 51 | 12.7 |
| November | 23 | 8.9 |
| December | 15 | 6.3 |
Business sectors: Ameland
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Accommodation and food services20.0% ×5.8
- Wholesale and retail trade10.7% ×0.8
- Professional, scientific and technical10.7% ×0.5
- Construction8.0% ×0.8
- Administrative and support services8.0% ×1.5
- Health and social work6.7% ×0.6
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing6.0% ×2.0
- Arts, entertainment and recreation6.0% ×1.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Ameland?
Ameland has 3,816 residents (2026), ranking 339 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Ameland?
Ameland covers 54.2 km², with a density of 70 people per km².
Is the population of Ameland growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Ameland went from 3,611 to 3,816, a change of +5.7%.
Where is Ameland?
Ameland is in Friesland. It belongs to Noord-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 53.450, longitude 5.754.
Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Ameland?
In Ameland, “Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65” stands at 0.4% (2026), ranking 342 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 2.3%.
Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international): what is the figure for Ameland?
In Ameland, “Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international)” stands at −6.8 ‰ (2024), ranking 340 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 6.5 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Ameland?
In Ameland, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 41° produces about 1,051 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Ameland?
The nearest to Ameland are Noardeast-Fryslân (23 km), Dantumadiel (24 km), Leeuwarden (28 km), Terschelling (29 km), Schiermonnikoog (32 km).