Terschelling: population and statistics
Terschelling has a population of 4,834 (2026) across 84.9 km², or 57.0 people per km². It ranks 338 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −0.7% between 2016 and 2026.
- 4,834 residents
- 84.9 km²
- 57 people/km²
- 4 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Terschelling ranks No. 15 by population.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: 0.7% in Terschelling, compared with an average of 1.6% in Friesland and 1.6% nationally.
Largest business sector: Accommodation and food services, with 17.8% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,055 kWh a year here.
Terschelling in numbers
Where is Terschelling?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Harlingen25 km · 16,270
- Waadhoeke28 km · 47,158
- Ameland29 km · 3,816
- Vlieland30 km · 1,202
- Leeuwarden37 km · 130,162
- Dantumadiel45 km · 19,231
- Súdwest-Fryslân47 km · 90,521
- Noardeast-Fryslân48 km · 45,935
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Noord-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Terschelling over time
Terschelling had 4,870 residents in 2016 and 4,834 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,870 |
| 2022 | 4,960 |
| 2023 | 4,928 |
| 2024 | 4,898 |
| 2025 | 4,923 |
| 2026 | 4,834 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Dwellings built before 1946”.
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”.
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Housing stock”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 11,888 football pitches.
- Its population density is 9.5 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Terschelling
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 | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 26.1% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 81 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 11.7% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 330 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −2.0 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 204 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.5 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 143 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 2,360 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 337 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 38.5% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 6 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 18.4% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 201 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 76.5% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 203 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 63.8% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 226 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.1% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 268 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 482,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 110 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.6 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 263 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Terschelling | 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) | 2,550 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 272 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 4% | 7% | 7% | ranked 287 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 43% | 48% | 46% | ranked 210 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 7% | 12% | 12% | ranked 306 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.9% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 141 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) | 1,060 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 222 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,792 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 161 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 262.0 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 64 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business establishments (2026) | 1,080 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 334 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 223.4 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 5 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 0.7% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 340 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 0.7% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 341 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 499 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 193 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 40.4 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 3 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 1.8 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 332 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 48.6% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 17 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 22.8 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 284 of 338 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.8 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 242 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 596 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 43 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 3.1% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 338 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 14.1% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 316 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 79.9% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 5 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Terschelling | 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 | Terschelling | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 28.9% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 162 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Terschelling: 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
90.9% in 2022, compared with 92.4% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,792 Wp in 2025, compared with 620 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
262.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 80.6 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
22.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 39.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Terschelling
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 5.5 |
| February | 35 | 4.7 |
| March | 83 | 5.7 |
| April | 132 | 8.2 |
| May | 163 | 11.4 |
| June | 168 | 14.6 |
| July | 166 | 17.0 |
| August | 139 | 17.6 |
| September | 93 | 16.2 |
| October | 51 | 13.2 |
| November | 23 | 9.5 |
| December | 15 | 7.0 |
Business sectors: Terschelling
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Accommodation and food services17.8% ×5.2
- Professional, scientific and technical12.7% ×0.6
- Wholesale and retail trade11.3% ×0.9
- Health and social work8.0% ×0.8
- Construction7.5% ×0.7
- Administrative and support services7.5% ×1.4
- Arts, entertainment and recreation6.6% ×1.2
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing4.2% ×1.4
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Terschelling?
Terschelling has 4,834 residents (2026), ranking 338 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Terschelling?
Terschelling covers 84.9 km², with a density of 57 people per km².
Is the population of Terschelling growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Terschelling went from 4,870 to 4,834, a change of −0.7%.
Where is Terschelling?
Terschelling is in Friesland. It belongs to Noord-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 53.401, longitude 5.331.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Terschelling?
In Terschelling, “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65” stands at 0.7% (2026), ranking 340 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.5%.
Housing stock: what is the figure for Terschelling?
In Terschelling, “Housing stock” stands at 2,360 dwellings (2025), ranking 337 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 14,880 dwellings.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Terschelling?
In Terschelling, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,055 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Terschelling?
The nearest to Terschelling are Harlingen (25 km), Waadhoeke (28 km), Ameland (29 km), Vlieland (30 km), Leeuwarden (37 km).