Weststellingwerf: population and statistics
Weststellingwerf has a population of 26,622 (2026) across 220.1 km², or 121 people per km². It ranks 216 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +4.3% between 2016 and 2026.
- 26,622 residents
- 220.1 km²
- 121 people/km²
- 1 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Weststellingwerf ranks No. 11 by population.
Dwellings with solar power: 61% in Weststellingwerf, compared with an average of 48% in Friesland and 38% nationally.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: 2.3 km in Weststellingwerf, compared with an average of 1.6 km in Friesland and 1.1 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 14.5% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,018 kWh a year here.
Weststellingwerf in numbers
Where is Weststellingwerf?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Heerenveen9.8 km · 51,955
- Steenwijkerland14 km · 45,926
- Opsterland14 km · 30,068
- Westerveld20 km · 20,035
- De Fryske Marren22 km · 52,248
- Ooststellingwerf23 km · 25,898
- Meppel24 km · 36,616
- Smallingerland25 km · 57,188
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Weststellingwerf over time
Weststellingwerf had 25,520 residents in 2016 and 26,622 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 26,130 |
| 2022 | 26,278 |
| 2023 | 26,467 |
| 2024 | 26,487 |
| 2025 | 26,596 |
| 2026 | 26,622 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Average distance to the nearest GP practice”.
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Average distance to a large supermarket”.
- “Dwellings with solar power”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to the nearest GP practice”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water)”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 30,826 football pitches.
- Its population density is 4.5 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Weststellingwerf
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 | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 26.5% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 68 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.3% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 219 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −5.2 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 301 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 9.3 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 92 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 12,042 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 210 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 24.8% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 28 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 17.2% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 226 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 87.9% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 32 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 65.4% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 195 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 26.4% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 123 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 362,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 286 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.8 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 184 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 980 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 67 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,770 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 190 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 5% | 7% | 7% | ranked 236 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 61% | 48% | 46% | ranked 5 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 11% | 12% | 12% | ranked 178 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 13 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 66 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) | 1,610 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 50 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 3,893 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 28 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 298.5 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 11 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 55,200 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 294 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,615 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 216 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 135.8 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 168 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | 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) | 3.1% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 97 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 557 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 5.3 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 155 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 34.0% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 152 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 22.1 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 292 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 6.6 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 282 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 2.2 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 8 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 656 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 18 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 5.8% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 331 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 81.3% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 34 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 11.8% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 168 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.3 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 7 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Weststellingwerf | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 23.5% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 287 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Weststellingwerf: 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 96.6% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
3,893 Wp in 2025, compared with 1,019 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
298.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 75.3 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
22.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 33.1 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
6.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 9.5 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Weststellingwerf
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.4 |
| February | 36 | 3.5 |
| March | 80 | 5.7 |
| April | 128 | 9.3 |
| May | 155 | 13.1 |
| June | 164 | 16.4 |
| July | 161 | 18.1 |
| August | 136 | 17.6 |
| September | 94 | 15.1 |
| October | 54 | 11.5 |
| November | 25 | 7.1 |
| December | 16 | 4.5 |
Business sectors: Weststellingwerf
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade14.5% ×1.1
- Professional, scientific and technical14.4% ×0.7
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing13.2% ×4.3
- Construction12.7% ×1.2
- Health and social work8.3% ×0.8
- Other service activities6.0% ×1.1
- Education5.3% ×0.9
- Manufacturing4.7% ×1.3
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Weststellingwerf?
Weststellingwerf has 26,622 residents (2026), ranking 216 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Weststellingwerf?
Weststellingwerf covers 220.1 km², with a density of 121 people per km².
Is the population of Weststellingwerf growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Weststellingwerf went from 25,520 to 26,622, a change of +4.3%.
Where is Weststellingwerf?
Weststellingwerf is in Friesland. It belongs to Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 52.883, longitude 6.000.
Dwellings with solar power: what is the figure for Weststellingwerf?
In Weststellingwerf, “Dwellings with solar power” stands at 61% (2025), ranking 5 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 46%.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: what is the figure for Weststellingwerf?
In Weststellingwerf, “Average distance to the nearest GP practice” stands at 2.3 km (2025), ranking 7 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.2 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Weststellingwerf?
In Weststellingwerf, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,018 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Weststellingwerf?
The nearest to Weststellingwerf are Heerenveen (9.8 km), Steenwijkerland (14 km), Opsterland (14 km), Westerveld (20 km), De Fryske Marren (22 km).