Meerssen: population and statistics
Meerssen has a population of 18,454 (2026) across 26.8 km², or 688 people per km². It ranks 288 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −3.1% between 2016 and 2026.
- 18,454 residents
- 26.8 km²
- 688 people/km²
- 59 m
Key points
Among the 31 municipalities in Limburg, Meerssen ranks No. 20 by population.
Dwellings built since 2000: 6.3% in Meerssen, compared with an average of 14.5% in Limburg and 20.4% nationally.
Dwellings without natural gas: 3% in Meerssen, compared with an average of 6% in Limburg and 12% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 20.9% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,070 kWh a year here.
Meerssen in numbers
Where is Meerssen?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Maastricht5.3 km · 126,026
- Valkenburg aan de Geul6.0 km · 16,481
- Beek6.7 km · 16,141
- Stein9.2 km · 24,691
- Eijsden-Margraten10 km · 26,350
- Beekdaelen11 km · 35,903
- Voerendaal12 km · 12,432
- Gulpen-Wittem13 km · 13,945
All municipalities in Zuid-Limburg (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Meerssen over time
Meerssen had 19,040 residents in 2016 and 18,454 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,661 |
| 2022 | 18,581 |
| 2023 | 18,600 |
| 2024 | 18,576 |
| 2025 | 18,460 |
| 2026 | 18,454 |
Did you know?
- “Dwellings built since 2000”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings without natural gas”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 94% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 3,758 football pitches.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Maastricht (126,026 residents), 5.3 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,280 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Meerssen
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 | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 29.4% | 26.2% | 23.6% | ranked 24 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 12.5% | 12.6% | 14.8% | ranked 309 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −6.4 ‰ | −4.3 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 322 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 0.3 ‰ | 6.2 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 301 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 8,717 dwellings | 551,489 | 8,274,510 | ranked 277 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 18.7% | 15.4% | 13.1% | ranked 94 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 6.3% | 14.5% | 19.9% | ranked 337 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 82.2% | 72.3% | 79.5% | ranked 137 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 72.6% | 61.1% | 66.7% | ranked 64 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.2% | 25.2% | 23.7% | ranked 265 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 409,000 € | 351,319 € | 438,000 € | ranked 218 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.1 ‰ | 13.8 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 335 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,010 m³ | 887 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 36 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,040 kWh | 2,783 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 3% | 6% | 7% | ranked 318 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 52% | 44% | 46% | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 10% | 11% | 12% | ranked 223 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 112 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.6% | 88.3% | 90.3% | ranked 54 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.1% | ranked 106 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,580 kWh | 1,254 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 57 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,421 Wp | 1,958 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 218 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 260.3 ‰ | 225.6 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 68 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 64,400 € | 56,081 € | 63,450 € | ranked 148 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 2,335 | 133,200 | 2,612,530 | ranked 297 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 126.5 ‰ | 117.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 240 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.7% | 1.9% | 1.5% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.2% | 3.6% | 2.3% | ranked 180 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 560 ‰ | 520 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 51 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 1.8 km | 3.9 km | 4.6 km | ranked 315 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 32.8% | 39.8% | 33.3% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 27.8 ‰ | 45.6 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 216 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 10.7 ‰ | 17.2 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 185 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | ranked 134 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 579 kg | 489 kg | 468 kg | ranked 56 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 23.6% | 32.1% | 16.8% | ranked 120 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 58.1% | 46.3% | 58.8% | ranked 176 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 14.1% | 15.4% | 11.7% | ranked 148 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 0.9 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km | ranked 247 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Meerssen | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 34.9% | 28.5% | 28.5% | ranked 73 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Meerssen: 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
92.6% in 2022, compared with 94.6% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.5% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,421 Wp in 2025, compared with 453 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
260.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 91.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
27.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 28.1 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
10.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 12.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Meerssen
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25 | 2.8 |
| February | 42 | 3.4 |
| March | 84 | 6.0 |
| April | 131 | 9.7 |
| May | 159 | 13.5 |
| June | 169 | 17.1 |
| July | 166 | 18.7 |
| August | 138 | 17.9 |
| September | 104 | 15.1 |
| October | 61 | 11.6 |
| November | 31 | 6.8 |
| December | 20 | 4.1 |
Business sectors: Meerssen
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical20.9% ×1.0
- Health and social work15.1% ×1.4
- Wholesale and retail trade11.6% ×0.9
- Construction8.4% ×0.8
- Other service activities7.3% ×1.4
- Education5.8% ×1.0
- Arts, entertainment and recreation5.2% ×0.9
- Administrative and support services4.7% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Meerssen?
Meerssen has 18,454 residents (2026), ranking 288 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Meerssen?
Meerssen covers 26.8 km², with a density of 688 people per km².
Is the population of Meerssen growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Meerssen went from 19,040 to 18,454, a change of −3.1%.
Where is Meerssen?
Meerssen is in Limburg. It belongs to Zuid-Limburg (COROP region). Latitude 50.886, longitude 5.752.
Dwellings built since 2000: what is the figure for Meerssen?
In Meerssen, “Dwellings built since 2000” stands at 6.3% (2024), ranking 337 of 338 municipalities; the national median is 19.9%.
Dwellings without natural gas: what is the figure for Meerssen?
In Meerssen, “Dwellings without natural gas” stands at 3% (2025), ranking 318 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 7%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Meerssen?
In Meerssen, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,070 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Meerssen?
The nearest to Meerssen are Maastricht (5.3 km), Valkenburg aan de Geul (6.0 km), Beek (6.7 km), Stein (9.2 km), Eijsden-Margraten (10 km).