Stadskanaal: population and statistics
Stadskanaal has a population of 32,110 (2026) across 117.8 km², or 273 people per km². It ranks 180 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −1.6% between 2016 and 2026.
- 32,110 residents
- 117.8 km²
- 273 people/km²
- 7 m
Key points
Among the 10 municipalities in Groningen, Stadskanaal ranks No. 7 by population.
New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants: 2.3 ‰ in Stadskanaal, compared with an average of 21.1 ‰ in Groningen and 19.7 ‰ nationally.
Residents with a higher professional or university degree: 17.5% in Stadskanaal, compared with an average of 31.4% in Groningen and 33.2% nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 18.1% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,007 kWh a year here.
Stadskanaal in numbers
Where is Stadskanaal?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Pekela11 km · 12,579
- Veendam14 km · 27,825
- Aa en Hunze14 km · 26,062
- Borger-Odoorn15 km · 26,162
- Westerwolde16 km · 25,267
- Oldambt19 km · 39,746
- Emmen23 km · 109,881
- Midden-Groningen23 km · 61,346
All municipalities in Groningen
All municipalities in Oost-Groningen (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Stadskanaal over time
Stadskanaal had 32,621 residents in 2016 and 32,110 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 31,754 |
| 2022 | 31,851 |
| 2023 | 32,135 |
| 2024 | 32,013 |
| 2025 | 32,038 |
| 2026 | 32,110 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Groningen for “Average distance to the nearest railway station”.
- “New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Residents with a higher professional or university degree”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Area of solar parks”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 16,493 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Pekela, 10.9 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Emmen (109,881 residents), 23 km away.
All indicators for Stadskanaal
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 | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 26.7% | 21.7% | 23.6% | ranked 61 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.7% | 13.0% | 14.8% | ranked 258 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −5.8 ‰ | −2.4 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 313 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 6.7 ‰ | 4.7 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 159 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 15,189 dwellings | 294,247 | 8,274,510 | ranked 165 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 21.6% | 25.6% | 13.1% | ranked 57 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 12.9% | 18.1% | 19.9% | ranked 302 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 78.6% | 65.2% | 79.5% | ranked 181 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 60.8% | 55.1% | 66.7% | ranked 259 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 29.9% | 27.9% | 23.7% | ranked 59 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 314,000 € | 327,549 € | 438,000 € | ranked 322 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.3 ‰ | 21.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 339 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,010 m³ | 895 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 36 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,740 kWh | 2,496 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 202 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 4% | 8% | 7% | ranked 287 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 50% | 46% | 46% | ranked 116 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 11% | 13% | 12% | ranked 178 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 102 ha | 642 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 7 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.2% | 86.6% | 90.3% | ranked 172 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.2% | 1.6% | 0.1% | ranked 143 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,340 kWh | 1,136 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 135 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 6,163 Wp | 3,264 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 7 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 248.6 ‰ | 243.4 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 90 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 51,000 € | 51,751 € | 63,450 € | ranked 326 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,315 | 71,990 | 2,612,530 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 103.2 ‰ | 119.7 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 326 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | ranked 185 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 4.3% | 4.6% | 2.3% | ranked 35 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 547 ‰ | 459 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 78 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 17.5 km | 5.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 21 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 37.1% | 45.9% | 33.3% | ranked 88 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 35.7 ‰ | 43.2 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 109 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 8.1 ‰ | 19.6 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 250 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.2 ‰ | 4.2 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 64 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.6 ‰ | 4.7 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 66 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.2 km | 1.0 km | ranked 106 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 557 kg | 463 kg | 468 kg | ranked 64 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 13.4% | 18.7% | 16.8% | ranked 205 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 78.8% | 71.2% | 58.8% | ranked 55 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 4.7% | 6.2% | 11.7% | ranked 260 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.7 km | 1.3 km | 1.2 km | ranked 40 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Stadskanaal | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 17.5% | 31.4% | 28.5% | ranked 337 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Stadskanaal: 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
90.2% in 2022, compared with 92.3% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.2% in 2022, compared with 1.2% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
6,163 Wp in 2025, compared with 1,018 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
248.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 66.8 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
35.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 35.8 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
8.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 12.4 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
4.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.7 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
4.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Stadskanaal
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 2.9 |
| February | 36 | 3.2 |
| March | 79 | 5.6 |
| April | 126 | 9.5 |
| May | 154 | 13.2 |
| June | 163 | 16.5 |
| July | 160 | 18.1 |
| August | 135 | 17.6 |
| September | 95 | 15.0 |
| October | 54 | 11.3 |
| November | 25 | 6.7 |
| December | 15 | 4.1 |
Business sectors: Stadskanaal
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade18.1% ×1.4
- Professional, scientific and technical14.3% ×0.7
- Construction13.7% ×1.3
- Health and social work10.1% ×1.0
- Other service activities8.3% ×1.5
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing5.1% ×1.7
- Manufacturing5.0% ×1.4
- Administrative and support services5.0% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Stadskanaal?
Stadskanaal has 32,110 residents (2026), ranking 180 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Stadskanaal?
Stadskanaal covers 117.8 km², with a density of 273 people per km².
Is the population of Stadskanaal growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Stadskanaal went from 32,621 to 32,110, a change of −1.6%.
Where is Stadskanaal?
Stadskanaal is in Groningen. It belongs to Oost-Groningen (COROP region). Latitude 52.986, longitude 6.959.
New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Stadskanaal?
In Stadskanaal, “New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 2.3 ‰ (2025), ranking 339 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 17.4 ‰.
Residents with a higher professional or university degree: what is the figure for Stadskanaal?
In Stadskanaal, “Residents with a higher professional or university degree” stands at 17.5% (2024), ranking 337 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 28.5%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Stadskanaal?
In Stadskanaal, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,007 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Stadskanaal?
The nearest to Stadskanaal are Pekela (11 km), Veendam (14 km), Aa en Hunze (14 km), Borger-Odoorn (15 km), Westerwolde (16 km).