Pekela: population and statistics
Pekela has a population of 12,579 (2026) across 49.0 km², or 257 people per km². It ranks 320 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −0.5% between 2016 and 2026.
- 12,579 residents
- 49.0 km²
- 257 people/km²
- −1 m
Key points
Among the 10 municipalities in Groningen, Pekela ranks No. 10 by population.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: 81.1 ‰ in Pekela, compared with an average of 119.7 ‰ in Groningen and 144.1 ‰ nationally.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: 96.4% in Pekela, compared with an average of 86.6% in Groningen and 82.6% nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 19.7% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,002 kWh a year here.
Pekela in numbers
Where is Pekela?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Veendam8.0 km · 27,825
- Oldambt8.1 km · 39,746
- Westerwolde9.6 km · 25,267
- Stadskanaal11 km · 32,110
- Midden-Groningen17 km · 61,346
- Aa en Hunze18 km · 26,062
- Tynaarlo26 km · 35,116
- Borger-Odoorn26 km · 26,162
All municipalities in Groningen
All municipalities in Oost-Groningen (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Pekela over time
Pekela had 12,641 residents in 2016 and 12,579 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,176 |
| 2022 | 12,196 |
| 2023 | 12,404 |
| 2024 | 12,517 |
| 2025 | 12,459 |
| 2026 | 12,579 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Groningen for “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”.
- Number 1 in Groningen for “Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65”.
- “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 6,866 football pitches.
- Its population density is 2.1 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Pekela
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 | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.0% | 21.7% | 23.6% | ranked 154 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.9% | 13.0% | 14.8% | ranked 153 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −4.3 ‰ | −2.4 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 282 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | −0.2 ‰ | 4.7 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 309 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 5,797 dwellings | 294,247 | 8,274,510 | ranked 317 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 26.6% | 25.6% | 13.1% | ranked 24 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 10.0% | 18.1% | 19.9% | ranked 328 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 88.3% | 65.2% | 79.5% | ranked 30 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 64.6% | 55.1% | 66.7% | ranked 211 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 24.3% | 27.9% | 23.7% | ranked 157 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 254,000 € | 327,549 € | 438,000 € | ranked 340 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.1 ‰ | 21.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 200 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,060 m³ | 895 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 18 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,840 kWh | 2,496 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 151 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 3% | 8% | 7% | ranked 318 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 52% | 46% | 46% | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 10% | 13% | 12% | ranked 223 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 8 ha | 642 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 91 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 96.4% | 86.6% | 90.3% | ranked 1 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 1.6% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,330 kWh | 1,136 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 138 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 8,952 Wp | 3,264 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 3 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 261.4 ‰ | 243.4 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 66 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 49,300 € | 51,751 € | 63,450 € | ranked 332 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 1,020 | 71,990 | 2,612,530 | ranked 335 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 81.1 ‰ | 119.7 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 342 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.5% | ranked 28 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 5.7% | 4.6% | 2.3% | ranked 5 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 582 ‰ | 459 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 23 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 6.5 km | 5.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 129 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 35.5% | 45.9% | 33.3% | ranked 118 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 31.9 ‰ | 43.2 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 148 of 338 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.2 km | 1.0 km | ranked 106 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 13.2% | 18.7% | 16.8% | ranked 209 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 81.8% | 71.2% | 58.8% | ranked 29 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 2.7% | 6.2% | 11.7% | ranked 294 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.3 km | 1.2 km | ranked 143 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Pekela | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 17.2% | 31.4% | 28.5% | ranked 338 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Pekela: 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
96.4% in 2022, compared with 95.9% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
8,952 Wp in 2025, compared with 569 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
261.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 53.1 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
31.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 31.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Pekela
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 3.0 |
| February | 36 | 3.3 |
| March | 79 | 5.6 |
| April | 127 | 9.4 |
| May | 154 | 13.1 |
| June | 162 | 16.4 |
| July | 160 | 18.1 |
| August | 134 | 17.6 |
| September | 94 | 15.0 |
| October | 53 | 11.3 |
| November | 24 | 6.8 |
| December | 15 | 4.1 |
Business sectors: Pekela
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade19.7% ×1.5
- Construction14.8% ×1.4
- Professional, scientific and technical11.3% ×0.5
- Health and social work8.9% ×0.8
- Other service activities8.4% ×1.6
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing7.4% ×2.4
- Manufacturing5.9% ×1.7
- Administrative and support services4.9% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Pekela?
Pekela has 12,579 residents (2026), ranking 320 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Pekela?
Pekela covers 49.0 km², with a density of 257 people per km².
Is the population of Pekela growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Pekela went from 12,641 to 12,579, a change of −0.5%.
Where is Pekela?
Pekela is in Groningen. It belongs to Oost-Groningen (COROP region). Latitude 53.083, longitude 6.983.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Pekela?
In Pekela, “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 81.1 ‰ (2026), ranking 342 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 135.6 ‰.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: what is the figure for Pekela?
In Pekela, “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler” stands at 96.4% (2022), ranking 1 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 90.3%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Pekela?
In Pekela, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,002 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Pekela?
The nearest to Pekela are Veendam (8.0 km), Oldambt (8.1 km), Westerwolde (9.6 km), Stadskanaal (11 km), Midden-Groningen (17 km).