Harlingen: population and statistics
Harlingen has a population of 16,270 (2026) across 25.0 km², or 652 people per km². It ranks 303 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.9% between 2016 and 2026.
- 16,270 residents
- 25.0 km²
- 652 people/km²
- 1 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Harlingen ranks No. 14 by population.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: 1.5 km in Harlingen, compared with an average of 8.8 km in Friesland and 5.2 km nationally.
Average disposable income per household: 51,300 € in Harlingen, compared with an average of 55,151 € in Friesland and 61,843 € nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.7% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 41° generates about 1,093 kWh a year here.
Harlingen in numbers
Where is Harlingen?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Waadhoeke7.1 km · 47,158
- Súdwest-Fryslân22 km · 90,521
- Leeuwarden23 km · 130,162
- Terschelling25 km · 4,834
- Vlieland33 km · 1,202
- De Fryske Marren33 km · 52,248
- Ameland37 km · 3,816
- Tytsjerksteradiel38 km · 32,874
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Noord-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Harlingen over time
Harlingen had 15,813 residents in 2016 and 16,270 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 15,807 |
| 2022 | 15,904 |
| 2023 | 16,188 |
| 2024 | 16,229 |
| 2025 | 16,210 |
| 2026 | 16,270 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Population density”.
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Housing association dwellings”.
- “Average distance to the nearest railway station”: lower than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Average disposable income per household”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 3,496 football pitches.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Waadhoeke (47,158 residents), 7.1 km away.
All indicators for Harlingen
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 | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 28.1% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 34 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.4% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 281 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −4.3 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 282 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 3.1 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 246 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 8,124 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 288 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 22.7% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 48 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 20.9% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 137 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 76.5% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 203 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 56.3% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 295 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 32.1% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 33 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 293,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 329 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 22.8 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 91 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 830 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 230 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,350 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 313 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 9% | 7% | 7% | ranked 74 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 54% | 48% | 46% | ranked 54 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 13% | 12% | 12% | ranked 96 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 3 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 123 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 87.8% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 245 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.1% | ranked 164 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,240 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 172 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,738 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 168 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 292.4 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 19 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 51,300 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 325 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 2,095 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 310 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 128.8 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 224 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 28 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 4.7% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 20 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 474 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 240 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 1.5 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 332 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.0 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 40.5% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 49 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 29.8 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 189 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 8.8 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 236 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.0 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 161 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 579 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 56 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 30.0% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 96 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 65.9% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 134 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 1.3% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 321 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.3 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 118 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Harlingen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 23.3% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 291 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.7 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 219 of 342 |
Harlingen: 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
87.8% in 2022, compared with 90.2% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.1% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,738 Wp in 2025, compared with 828 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
292.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 163.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
29.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 32.4 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
8.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 10.6 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Harlingen
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 4.4 |
| February | 37 | 4.1 |
| March | 85 | 5.9 |
| April | 133 | 9.0 |
| May | 164 | 12.5 |
| June | 170 | 15.7 |
| July | 168 | 17.7 |
| August | 141 | 17.8 |
| September | 96 | 15.7 |
| October | 55 | 12.3 |
| November | 25 | 8.3 |
| December | 16 | 5.7 |
Business sectors: Harlingen
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.7% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade13.4% ×1.0
- Construction10.5% ×1.0
- Transport and storage7.7% ×2.7
- Health and social work7.7% ×0.7
- Manufacturing6.7% ×1.9
- Other service activities6.5% ×1.2
- Education5.5% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Harlingen?
Harlingen has 16,270 residents (2026), ranking 303 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Harlingen?
Harlingen covers 25.0 km², with a density of 652 people per km².
Is the population of Harlingen growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Harlingen went from 15,813 to 16,270, a change of +2.9%.
Where is Harlingen?
Harlingen is in Friesland. It belongs to Noord-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 53.183, longitude 5.433.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: what is the figure for Harlingen?
In Harlingen, “Average distance to the nearest railway station” stands at 1.5 km (2025), ranking 332 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 4.6 km.
Average disposable income per household: what is the figure for Harlingen?
In Harlingen, “Average disposable income per household” stands at 51,300 € (2024), ranking 325 of 336 municipalities; the national median is 63,450 €.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Harlingen?
In Harlingen, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 41° produces about 1,093 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Harlingen?
The nearest to Harlingen are Waadhoeke (7.1 km), Súdwest-Fryslân (22 km), Leeuwarden (23 km), Terschelling (25 km), Vlieland (33 km).