Lochem: population and statistics
Lochem has a population of 34,213 (2026) across 212.9 km², or 161 people per km². It ranks 165 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.6% between 2016 and 2026.
- 34,213 residents
- 212.9 km²
- 161 people/km²
- 32 m
Key points
Among the 51 municipalities in Gelderland, Lochem ranks No. 23 by population.
Share of residents aged 65 and over: 30.7% in Lochem, compared with an average of 22.4% in Gelderland and 21.1% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 22.9% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,028 kWh a year here.
Lochem in numbers
Where is Lochem?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Berkelland7.8 km · 43,986
- Bronckhorst14 km · 35,983
- Hof van Twente15 km · 35,775
- Zutphen15 km · 49,292
- Brummen18 km · 21,562
- Rijssen-Holten18 km · 39,274
- Deventer20 km · 105,111
- Oost Gelre22 km · 29,868
All municipalities in Gelderland
All municipalities in Achterhoek (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Lochem over time
Lochem had 33,333 residents in 2016 and 34,213 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 33,948 |
| 2022 | 34,069 |
| 2023 | 34,314 |
| 2024 | 34,289 |
| 2025 | 34,316 |
| 2026 | 34,213 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Gelderland for “Share of residents aged 65 and over”.
- Number 1 in Gelderland for “Average disposable income per household”.
- “Share of residents aged 65 and over”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Area of solar parks”: higher than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Average disposable income per household”: higher than in 92% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 29,825 football pitches.
- Its population density is 3.4 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Lochem
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 | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 30.7% | 22.4% | 23.6% | ranked 8 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 12.8% | 14.9% | 14.8% | ranked 302 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −7.0 ‰ | −0.9 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 326 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.8 ‰ | 6.7 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 132 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 15,659 dwellings | 958,419 | 8,274,510 | ranked 158 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 23.4% | 15.1% | 13.1% | ranked 45 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 19.5% | 21.5% | 19.9% | ranked 177 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 83.1% | 73.5% | 79.5% | ranked 122 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 71.1% | 61.6% | 66.7% | ranked 86 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 17.8% | 26.3% | 23.7% | ranked 286 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 515,000 € | 443,080 € | 438,000 € | ranked 66 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.1 ‰ | 18.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 200 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,070 m³ | 858 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 16 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,080 kWh | 2,769 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 10% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 50% | 43% | 46% | ranked 116 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 11% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 59 ha | 358 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 15 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) | 0.3% | 4.2% | 0.1% | ranked 125 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,410 kWh | 1,103 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 115 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 3,187 Wp | 1,812 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 49 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 241.7 ‰ | 202.5 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 112 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 75,500 € | 61,678 € | 63,450 € | ranked 28 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 5,435 | 298,620 | 2,612,530 | ranked 135 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 158.9 ‰ | 137.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 52 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | ranked 185 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.3% | 3.1% | 2.3% | ranked 164 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 576 ‰ | 485 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 27 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 4.9 km | 4.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 166 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 31.7% | 36.8% | 33.3% | ranked 222 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 21.4 ‰ | 36.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 298 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 7.5 ‰ | 14.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 260 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.0 ‰ | 4.0 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 123 of 171 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.5 km | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | ranked 53 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 392 kg | 438 kg | 468 kg | ranked 293 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 7.5% | 22.9% | 16.8% | ranked 303 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 72.1% | 45.1% | 58.8% | ranked 100 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 18.3% | 26.8% | 11.7% | ranked 114 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Lochem | 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 | Lochem | Gelderland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 36.7% | 31.9% | 28.5% | ranked 65 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.1 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Lochem: 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 94.3% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.3% in 2022, compared with 0.1% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
3,187 Wp in 2025, compared with 480 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
241.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 90.3 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
21.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 25.8 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
7.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.7 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.0 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Lochem
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 3.2 |
| February | 38 | 3.5 |
| March | 82 | 6.0 |
| April | 129 | 9.8 |
| May | 156 | 13.7 |
| June | 167 | 17.2 |
| July | 163 | 18.8 |
| August | 137 | 18.0 |
| September | 97 | 15.3 |
| October | 56 | 11.6 |
| November | 27 | 6.9 |
| December | 17 | 4.3 |
Business sectors: Lochem
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical22.9% ×1.1
- Health and social work11.8% ×1.1
- Wholesale and retail trade11.5% ×0.9
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing8.7% ×2.9
- Education6.3% ×1.1
- Construction6.3% ×0.6
- Arts, entertainment and recreation5.4% ×1.0
- Other service activities5.2% ×1.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Lochem?
Lochem has 34,213 residents (2026), ranking 165 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Lochem?
Lochem covers 212.9 km², with a density of 161 people per km².
Is the population of Lochem growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Lochem went from 33,333 to 34,213, a change of +2.6%.
Where is Lochem?
Lochem is in Gelderland. It belongs to Achterhoek (COROP region). Latitude 52.150, longitude 6.417.
Share of residents aged 65 and over: what is the figure for Lochem?
In Lochem, “Share of residents aged 65 and over” stands at 30.7% (2026), ranking 8 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 23.6%.
Area of solar parks: what is the figure for Lochem?
In Lochem, “Area of solar parks” stands at 59 ha (2022), ranking 15 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 0 ha.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Lochem?
In Lochem, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,028 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Lochem?
The nearest to Lochem are Berkelland (7.8 km), Bronckhorst (14 km), Hof van Twente (15 km), Zutphen (15 km), Brummen (18 km).