Aalten: population and statistics
Aalten has a population of 27,608 (2026) across 96.5 km², or 286 people per km². It ranks 209 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.6% between 2016 and 2026.
- 27,608 residents
- 96.5 km²
- 286 people/km²
- 28 m
Key points
Among the 51 municipalities in Gelderland, Aalten ranks No. 33 by population.
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants: 17.8 ‰ in Aalten, compared with an average of 36.1 ‰ in Gelderland and 45.2 ‰ nationally.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): 82.7% in Aalten, compared with an average of 45.1% in Gelderland and 44.5% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.2% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,029 kWh a year here.
Aalten in numbers
Where is Aalten?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Oost Gelre6.5 km · 29,868
- Winterswijk10 km · 29,289
- Oude IJsselstreek15 km · 39,596
- Doetinchem21 km · 60,466
- Berkelland22 km · 43,986
- Bronckhorst24 km · 35,983
- Lochem27 km · 34,213
- Haaksbergen28 km · 24,313
All municipalities in Gelderland
All municipalities in Achterhoek (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Aalten over time
Aalten had 26,912 residents in 2016 and 27,608 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 27,120 |
| 2022 | 27,100 |
| 2023 | 27,244 |
| 2024 | 27,308 |
| 2025 | 27,466 |
| 2026 | 27,608 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Gelderland for “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”.
- “Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”: higher than in 95% of municipalities.
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: lower than in 93% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 13,521 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Oost Gelre, 6.5 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Doetinchem (60,466 residents), 21 km away.
All indicators for Aalten
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 | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 25.1% | 22.4% | 23.6% | ranked 109 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.5% | 14.9% | 14.8% | ranked 197 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −1.8 ‰ | −0.9 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 194 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.6 ‰ | 6.7 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 139 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 12,346 dwellings | 958,419 | 8,274,510 | ranked 206 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 20.3% | 15.1% | 13.1% | ranked 73 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 14.9% | 21.5% | 19.9% | ranked 266 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 81.9% | 73.5% | 79.5% | ranked 144 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 71.7% | 61.6% | 66.7% | ranked 77 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.2% | 26.3% | 23.7% | ranked 265 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 380,000 € | 443,080 € | 438,000 € | ranked 262 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 12.3 ‰ | 18.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 255 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 930 m³ | 858 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,840 kWh | 2,769 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 151 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 10% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 45% | 43% | 46% | ranked 183 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 11% | 11% | 12% | ranked 178 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 3 ha | 358 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 123 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 91.3% | 85.9% | 90.3% | ranked 111 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.2% | 4.2% | 0.1% | ranked 143 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,330 kWh | 1,103 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 138 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,040 Wp | 1,812 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 126 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 213.5 ‰ | 202.5 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 200 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 60,300 € | 61,678 € | 63,450 € | ranked 226 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,210 | 298,620 | 2,612,530 | ranked 244 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 116.3 ‰ | 137.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 298 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.5% | ranked 311 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.2% | 3.1% | 2.3% | ranked 180 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 538 ‰ | 485 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 104 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 4.4 km | 4.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 175 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.3 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 31.4% | 36.8% | 33.3% | ranked 234 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 17.8 ‰ | 36.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 327 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.8 ‰ | 14.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 295 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.4 km | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | ranked 68 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 418 kg | 438 kg | 468 kg | ranked 264 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 10.9% | 22.9% | 16.8% | ranked 245 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 82.7% | 45.1% | 58.8% | ranked 19 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 4.4% | 26.8% | 11.7% | ranked 264 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.5 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km | ranked 73 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Aalten | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 23.6% | 31.9% | 28.5% | ranked 286 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Aalten: 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
91.3% in 2022, compared with 93.4% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.2% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,040 Wp in 2025, compared with 605 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
213.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 83.6 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
17.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 21.5 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
5.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.7 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Aalten
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 3.2 |
| February | 38 | 3.6 |
| March | 82 | 6.2 |
| April | 128 | 10.2 |
| May | 157 | 14.0 |
| June | 166 | 17.6 |
| July | 162 | 19.1 |
| August | 137 | 18.3 |
| September | 98 | 15.5 |
| October | 58 | 11.7 |
| November | 28 | 7.0 |
| December | 17 | 4.3 |
Business sectors: Aalten
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.2% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade14.3% ×1.1
- Construction11.0% ×1.1
- Health and social work10.9% ×1.0
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing10.1% ×3.3
- Manufacturing7.2% ×2.0
- Other service activities6.1% ×1.1
- Arts, entertainment and recreation4.7% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Aalten?
Aalten has 27,608 residents (2026), ranking 209 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Aalten?
Aalten covers 96.5 km², with a density of 286 people per km².
Is the population of Aalten growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Aalten went from 26,912 to 27,608, a change of +2.6%.
Where is Aalten?
Aalten is in Gelderland. It belongs to Achterhoek (COROP region). Latitude 51.925, longitude 6.581.
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Aalten?
In Aalten, “Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 17.8 ‰ (2025), ranking 327 of 338 municipalities; the national median is 30.9 ‰.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): what is the figure for Aalten?
In Aalten, “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)” stands at 82.7% (2022), ranking 19 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 58.8%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Aalten?
In Aalten, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,029 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Aalten?
The nearest to Aalten are Oost Gelre (6.5 km), Winterswijk (10 km), Oude IJsselstreek (15 km), Doetinchem (21 km), Berkelland (22 km).