Westerkwartier: population and statistics
Westerkwartier has a population of 65,067 (2026) across 362.5 km², or 180 people per km². It ranks 66 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +3.2% between 2019 and 2026.
- 65,067 residents
- 362.5 km²
- 180 people/km²
- 1 m
Key points
Among the 10 municipalities in Groningen, Westerkwartier ranks No. 2 by population.
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants: 2.0 ‰ in Westerkwartier, compared with an average of 4.7 ‰ in Groningen and 5.2 ‰ nationally.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): 87.9% in Westerkwartier, compared with an average of 71.2% in Groningen and 44.5% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.7% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,010 kWh a year here.
Westerkwartier in numbers
Where is Westerkwartier?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Noordenveld11 km · 31,737
- Groningen14 km · 244,427
- Achtkarspelen15 km · 28,254
- Smallingerland22 km · 57,188
- Tynaarlo23 km · 35,116
- Tytsjerksteradiel24 km · 32,874
- Noardeast-Fryslân24 km · 45,935
- Het Hogeland24 km · 48,073
All municipalities in Groningen
All municipalities in Overig Groningen (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Westerkwartier over time
Westerkwartier had 63,031 residents in 2019 and 65,067 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 63,678 |
| 2022 | 64,306 |
| 2023 | 64,946 |
| 2024 | 64,896 |
| 2025 | 64,841 |
| 2026 | 65,067 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Groningen for “Share of residents under 15”.
- Number 1 in Groningen for “Average household size”.
- “Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings with solar power”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 50,770 football pitches.
- Its population density is 3.0 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Westerkwartier
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 | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 23.0% | 21.7% | 23.6% | ranked 207 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 16.3% | 13.0% | 14.8% | ranked 60 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −1.8 ‰ | −2.4 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 194 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 1.0 ‰ | 4.7 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 287 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 28,232 dwellings | 294,247 | 8,274,510 | ranked 68 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 19.3% | 25.6% | 13.1% | ranked 83 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 21.4% | 18.1% | 19.9% | ranked 125 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 89.8% | 65.2% | 79.5% | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 72.8% | 55.1% | 66.7% | ranked 60 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.6% | 27.9% | 23.7% | ranked 254 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 370,000 € | 327,549 € | 438,000 € | ranked 277 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 15.8 ‰ | 21.1 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 208 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 990 m³ | 895 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,970 kWh | 2,496 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 109 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 8% | 8% | 7% | ranked 100 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 61% | 46% | 46% | ranked 5 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 18% | 13% | 12% | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 42 ha | 642 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 24 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.1% | 86.6% | 90.3% | ranked 175 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.8% | 1.6% | 0.1% | ranked 93 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,770 kWh | 1,136 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 24 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,608 Wp | 3,264 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 73 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 287.0 ‰ | 243.4 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 24 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 60,500 € | 51,751 € | 63,450 € | ranked 221 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 8,360 | 71,990 | 2,612,530 | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 128.5 ‰ | 119.7 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 228 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.5% | ranked 233 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.3% | 4.6% | 2.3% | ranked 164 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 548 ‰ | 459 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 73 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 9.2 km | 5.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 77 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.3 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 30.4% | 45.9% | 33.3% | ranked 260 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 20.0 ‰ | 43.2 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 309 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.3 ‰ | 19.6 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 305 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.0 ‰ | 4.2 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 123 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.0 ‰ | 4.7 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 178 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | 1.0 km | ranked 42 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 389 kg | 463 kg | 468 kg | ranked 297 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 8.7% | 18.7% | 16.8% | ranked 284 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 87.9% | 71.2% | 58.8% | ranked 5 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 2.1% | 6.2% | 11.7% | ranked 307 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Westerkwartier | 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 | Westerkwartier | Groningen | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 29.6% | 31.4% | 28.5% | ranked 153 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Westerkwartier: 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
90.1% in 2022, compared with 93.3% in 2019
Dwellings with district heating
0.8% in 2022, compared with 0.8% in 2019
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,608 Wp in 2025, compared with 886 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
287.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 90.4 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
20.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 21.0 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
5.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 6.2 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.3 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
2.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Westerkwartier
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.3 |
| February | 36 | 3.4 |
| March | 80 | 5.6 |
| April | 128 | 9.1 |
| May | 155 | 12.7 |
| June | 162 | 16.0 |
| July | 159 | 17.8 |
| August | 135 | 17.4 |
| September | 93 | 15.0 |
| October | 53 | 11.5 |
| November | 25 | 7.1 |
| December | 16 | 4.5 |
Business sectors: Westerkwartier
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.7% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade14.1% ×1.1
- Construction12.5% ×1.2
- Health and social work9.9% ×0.9
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing9.2% ×3.0
- Other service activities5.7% ×1.1
- Education5.3% ×0.9
- Administrative and support services4.9% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Westerkwartier?
Westerkwartier has 65,067 residents (2026), ranking 66 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Westerkwartier?
Westerkwartier covers 362.5 km², with a density of 180 people per km².
Is the population of Westerkwartier growing?
Between 2019 and 2026, the population of Westerkwartier went from 63,031 to 65,067, a change of +3.2%.
Where is Westerkwartier?
Westerkwartier is in Groningen. It belongs to Overig Groningen (COROP region). Latitude 53.225, longitude 6.353.
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Westerkwartier?
In Westerkwartier, “Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 2.0 ‰ (2025), ranking 178 of 178 municipalities; the national median is 3.9 ‰.
Share of agricultural land (excluding water): what is the figure for Westerkwartier?
In Westerkwartier, “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)” stands at 87.9% (2022), ranking 5 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 58.8%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Westerkwartier?
In Westerkwartier, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,010 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Westerkwartier?
The nearest to Westerkwartier are Noordenveld (11 km), Groningen (14 km), Achtkarspelen (15 km), Smallingerland (22 km), Tynaarlo (23 km).