Waadhoeke: population and statistics
Waadhoeke has a population of 47,158 (2026) across 285.4 km², or 165 people per km². It ranks 108 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.3% between 2018 and 2026.
- 47,158 residents
- 285.4 km²
- 165 people/km²
- 3 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Waadhoeke ranks No. 6 by population.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): 88.2% in Waadhoeke, compared with an average of 77.6% in Friesland and 44.5% nationally.
Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings: 292,000 € in Waadhoeke, compared with an average of 335,172 € in Friesland and 440,410 € nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 15.7% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 41° generates about 1,078 kWh a year here.
Waadhoeke in numbers
Where is Waadhoeke?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Harlingen7.1 km · 16,270
- Leeuwarden16 km · 130,162
- Súdwest-Fryslân21 km · 90,521
- Terschelling28 km · 4,834
- Tytsjerksteradiel31 km · 32,874
- De Fryske Marren31 km · 52,248
- Dantumadiel31 km · 19,231
- Ameland32 km · 3,816
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Noord-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Waadhoeke over time
Waadhoeke had 46,101 residents in 2018 and 47,158 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 46,149 |
| 2022 | 46,309 |
| 2023 | 46,718 |
| 2024 | 46,911 |
| 2025 | 46,857 |
| 2026 | 47,158 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”.
- “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 90% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 39,965 football pitches.
- Its population density is 3.3 times lower than the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Harlingen, 7.1 km away.
All indicators for Waadhoeke
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 | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.6% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.7% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 176 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.9 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 273 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 2.8 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 260 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 21,596 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 103 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 30.0% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 13 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 14.1% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 278 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 89.6% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 20 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 68.3% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 145 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 23.9% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 165 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 292,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 330 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 | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 960 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 92 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,670 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 230 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 5% | 7% | 7% | ranked 236 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 52% | 48% | 46% | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 12% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 11 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 71 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.1% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 73 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) | 1,974 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 133 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 258.4 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 71 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 55,000 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 295 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 5,955 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 115 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 126.3 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 243 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 133 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 3.4% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 79 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 543 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 89 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 6.4 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 132 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 35.0% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 124 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 23.2 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 277 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 6.9 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 273 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.8 ‰ | 4.2 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 137 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.1 ‰ | 4.1 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 141 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.7 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 31 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 620 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 33 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 8.2% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 290 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 88.2% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 3 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 2.3% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 300 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.5 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 73 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Waadhoeke | 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) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Waadhoeke: 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
92.1% in 2022, compared with 93.6% in 2018
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2018
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,974 Wp in 2025, compared with 868 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
258.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 79.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
23.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 27.9 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
6.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 9.5 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
2.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.3 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
3.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.6 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Waadhoeke
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 4.2 |
| February | 38 | 4.0 |
| March | 84 | 5.8 |
| April | 133 | 9.0 |
| May | 163 | 12.5 |
| June | 170 | 15.8 |
| July | 167 | 17.7 |
| August | 140 | 17.7 |
| September | 96 | 15.6 |
| October | 55 | 12.2 |
| November | 26 | 8.0 |
| December | 16 | 5.4 |
Business sectors: Waadhoeke
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical15.7% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade13.3% ×1.0
- Construction13.0% ×1.2
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing11.5% ×3.7
- Health and social work9.2% ×0.9
- Other service activities6.0% ×1.1
- Manufacturing5.9% ×1.7
- Education4.6% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Waadhoeke?
Waadhoeke has 47,158 residents (2026), ranking 108 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Waadhoeke?
Waadhoeke covers 285.4 km², with a density of 165 people per km².
Is the population of Waadhoeke growing?
Between 2018 and 2026, the population of Waadhoeke went from 46,101 to 47,158, a change of +2.3%.
Where is Waadhoeke?
Waadhoeke is in Friesland. It belongs to Noord-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 53.188, longitude 5.540.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): what is the figure for Waadhoeke?
In Waadhoeke, “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)” stands at 88.2% (2022), ranking 3 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 58.8%.
Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings: what is the figure for Waadhoeke?
In Waadhoeke, “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings” stands at 292,000 € (2026), ranking 330 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 438,000 €.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Waadhoeke?
In Waadhoeke, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 41° produces about 1,078 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Waadhoeke?
The nearest to Waadhoeke are Harlingen (7.1 km), Leeuwarden (16 km), Súdwest-Fryslân (21 km), Terschelling (28 km), Tytsjerksteradiel (31 km).