Noardeast-Fryslân: population and statistics
Noardeast-Fryslân has a population of 45,935 (2026) across 375.8 km², or 122 people per km². It ranks 114 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +1.7% between 2019 and 2026.
- 45,935 residents
- 375.8 km²
- 122 people/km²
- −1 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Noardeast-Fryslân ranks No. 7 by population.
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants: 5.2 ‰ in Noardeast-Fryslân, compared with an average of 11.8 ‰ in Friesland and 19.8 ‰ nationally.
Dwellings built before 1946: 28.6% in Noardeast-Fryslân, compared with an average of 21.7% in Friesland and 18.0% nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 15.4% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,036 kWh a year here.
Noardeast-Fryslân in numbers
Where is Noardeast-Fryslân?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Dantumadiel7.4 km · 19,231
- Achtkarspelen14 km · 28,254
- Tytsjerksteradiel15 km · 32,874
- Schiermonnikoog21 km · 972
- Leeuwarden23 km · 130,162
- Ameland23 km · 3,816
- Westerkwartier24 km · 65,067
- Smallingerland26 km · 57,188
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Noord-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Noardeast-Fryslân over time
Noardeast-Fryslân had 45,181 residents in 2019 and 45,935 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 45,481 |
| 2022 | 45,593 |
| 2023 | 45,812 |
| 2024 | 45,866 |
| 2025 | 45,864 |
| 2026 | 45,935 |
Did you know?
- “Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings built before 1946”: higher than in 95% of municipalities.
- “Residents with a higher professional or university degree”: lower than in 94% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 52,636 football pitches.
- Its population density is 4.4 times lower than the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Dantumadiel, 7.4 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Leeuwarden (130,162 residents), 23 km away.
All indicators for Noardeast-Fryslân
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 | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 23.5% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 178 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 15.3% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −1.7 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 190 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 1.7 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 277 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 21,001 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 110 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 28.6% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 17 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 13.4% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 289 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 88.5% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 28 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 66.9% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 167 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 23.6% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 173 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 323,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 319 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 8.6 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 299 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 970 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 78 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,600 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 255 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 5% | 7% | 7% | ranked 236 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 53% | 48% | 46% | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 11% | 12% | 12% | ranked 178 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 22 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 43 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 91.9% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 82 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.1% | ranked 125 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,420 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 111 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,182 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 114 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 264.1 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 58 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 53,900 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 309 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 5,700 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 122 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 124.1 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 254 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 185 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 3.5% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 71 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 541 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 94 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 11.7 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 52 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 35.2% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 122 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 22.4 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 288 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.2 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 306 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.9 ‰ | 4.2 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 130 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.1 ‰ | 4.1 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 82 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.8 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 638 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 24 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 6.5% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 316 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 78.8% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 55 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 13.7% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 152 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.0 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 19 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Noardeast-Fryslân | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 20.2% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 320 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Noardeast-Fryslân: 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
91.9% in 2022, compared with 94.5% in 2019
Dwellings with district heating
0.3% in 2022, compared with 0.3% in 2019
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,182 Wp in 2025, compared with 544 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
264.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 75.3 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
22.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 20.5 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
5.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 5.3 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
2.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.3 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
4.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.5 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Noardeast-Fryslân
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.7 |
| February | 36 | 3.7 |
| March | 82 | 5.6 |
| April | 131 | 8.9 |
| May | 160 | 12.4 |
| June | 164 | 15.7 |
| July | 162 | 17.7 |
| August | 135 | 17.5 |
| September | 94 | 15.3 |
| October | 53 | 11.8 |
| November | 25 | 7.5 |
| December | 15 | 4.9 |
Business sectors: Noardeast-Fryslân
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade15.4% ×1.2
- Professional, scientific and technical13.3% ×0.6
- Construction13.1% ×1.2
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing11.8% ×3.8
- Health and social work9.1% ×0.9
- Other service activities6.0% ×1.1
- Manufacturing5.6% ×1.6
- Arts, entertainment and recreation4.7% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Noardeast-Fryslân?
Noardeast-Fryslân has 45,935 residents (2026), ranking 114 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Noardeast-Fryslân?
Noardeast-Fryslân covers 375.8 km², with a density of 122 people per km².
Is the population of Noardeast-Fryslân growing?
Between 2019 and 2026, the population of Noardeast-Fryslân went from 45,181 to 45,935, a change of +1.7%.
Where is Noardeast-Fryslân?
Noardeast-Fryslân is in Friesland. It belongs to Noord-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 53.335, longitude 6.047.
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Noardeast-Fryslân?
In Noardeast-Fryslân, “Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 5.2 ‰ (2025), ranking 306 of 320 municipalities; the national median is 11.7 ‰.
Dwellings built before 1946: what is the figure for Noardeast-Fryslân?
In Noardeast-Fryslân, “Dwellings built before 1946” stands at 28.6% (2024), ranking 17 of 338 municipalities; the national median is 13.1%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Noardeast-Fryslân?
In Noardeast-Fryslân, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,036 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Noardeast-Fryslân?
The nearest to Noardeast-Fryslân are Dantumadiel (7.4 km), Achtkarspelen (14 km), Tytsjerksteradiel (15 km), Schiermonnikoog (21 km), Leeuwarden (23 km).