Ooststellingwerf: population and statistics
Ooststellingwerf has a population of 25,898 (2026) across 223.3 km², or 116 people per km². It ranks 226 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +1.3% between 2016 and 2026.
- 25,898 residents
- 223.3 km²
- 116 people/km²
- 6 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Ooststellingwerf ranks No. 12 by population.
Dwellings with solar power: 63% in Ooststellingwerf, compared with an average of 48% in Friesland and 38% nationally.
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants: 5.1 ‰ in Ooststellingwerf, compared with an average of 11.8 ‰ in Friesland and 19.8 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.0% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 995 kWh a year here.
Ooststellingwerf in numbers
Where is Ooststellingwerf?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Opsterland15 km · 30,068
- Heerenveen16 km · 51,955
- Smallingerland18 km · 57,188
- Assen18 km · 70,769
- Noordenveld18 km · 31,737
- Midden-Drenthe21 km · 34,402
- Weststellingwerf23 km · 26,622
- Tynaarlo23 km · 35,116
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Ooststellingwerf over time
Ooststellingwerf had 25,571 residents in 2016 and 25,898 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 25,464 |
| 2022 | 25,680 |
| 2023 | 25,837 |
| 2024 | 25,824 |
| 2025 | 25,925 |
| 2026 | 25,898 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Elevation”.
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Dwellings with solar power”.
- “Dwellings with solar power”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Single-family dwellings”: higher than in 96% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 31,270 football pitches.
- Its population density is 4.6 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Ooststellingwerf
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 | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 27.2% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 49 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.7% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 258 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.7 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 266 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.7 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 138 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 11,506 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 222 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 13.0% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 170 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 12.3% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 311 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 89.8% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 67.6% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 154 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 26.6% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 121 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 357,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 290 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 9.7 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 283 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 990 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,810 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 171 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 5% | 7% | 7% | ranked 236 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 63% | 48% | 46% | ranked 2 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 13% | 12% | 12% | ranked 96 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 74 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 12 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 93.8% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 19 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) | 1,520 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 77 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 5,344 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 296.5 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 14 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 55,400 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 292 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,285 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 238 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 126.8 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 238 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | 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) | 3.7% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 62 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 577 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 26 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 21.9 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 14 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 34.5% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 138 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 20.5 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 301 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.1 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 310 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.7 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 31 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 668 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 17 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 6.2% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 322 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 71.2% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 104 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 21.0% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 98 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.4 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 93 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Ooststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 24.2% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 273 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Ooststellingwerf: 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
93.8% in 2022, compared with 97.6% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
5,344 Wp in 2025, compared with 1,903 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
296.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 140.2 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
20.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 24.9 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
5.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 7.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Ooststellingwerf
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.1 |
| February | 36 | 3.3 |
| March | 79 | 5.6 |
| April | 126 | 9.2 |
| May | 153 | 13.0 |
| June | 161 | 16.3 |
| July | 158 | 18.1 |
| August | 133 | 17.5 |
| September | 93 | 15.0 |
| October | 53 | 11.3 |
| November | 25 | 6.8 |
| December | 16 | 4.3 |
Business sectors: Ooststellingwerf
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.0% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade14.8% ×1.1
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing12.0% ×3.9
- Construction10.5% ×1.0
- Health and social work10.1% ×1.0
- Other service activities6.4% ×1.2
- Manufacturing4.9% ×1.4
- Administrative and support services4.9% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Ooststellingwerf?
Ooststellingwerf has 25,898 residents (2026), ranking 226 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Ooststellingwerf?
Ooststellingwerf covers 223.3 km², with a density of 116 people per km².
Is the population of Ooststellingwerf growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Ooststellingwerf went from 25,571 to 25,898, a change of +1.3%.
Where is Ooststellingwerf?
Ooststellingwerf is in Friesland. It belongs to Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 52.987, longitude 6.291.
Dwellings with solar power: what is the figure for Ooststellingwerf?
In Ooststellingwerf, “Dwellings with solar power” stands at 63% (2025), ranking 2 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 46%.
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Ooststellingwerf?
In Ooststellingwerf, “Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 5.1 ‰ (2025), ranking 310 of 320 municipalities; the national median is 11.7 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Ooststellingwerf?
In Ooststellingwerf, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 995 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Ooststellingwerf?
The nearest to Ooststellingwerf are Opsterland (15 km), Heerenveen (16 km), Smallingerland (18 km), Assen (18 km), Noordenveld (18 km).