Simpelveld: population and statistics
Simpelveld has a population of 10,459 (2026) across 16.0 km², or 652 people per km². It ranks 329 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −2.6% between 2016 and 2026.
- 10,459 residents
- 16.0 km²
- 652 people/km²
- 140 m
Key points
Among the 31 municipalities in Limburg, Simpelveld ranks No. 29 by population.
Dwellings without natural gas: 2% in Simpelveld, compared with an average of 6% in Limburg and 12% nationally.
Dwellings built since 2000: 9.1% in Simpelveld, compared with an average of 14.5% in Limburg and 20.4% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 18.1% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,062 kWh a year here.
Simpelveld in numbers
Where is Simpelveld?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Heerlen5.4 km · 87,764
- Gulpen-Wittem6.3 km · 13,945
- Kerkrade6.9 km · 45,824
- Voerendaal7.1 km · 12,432
- Vaals7.7 km · 10,106
- Landgraaf8.8 km · 36,844
- Valkenburg aan de Geul11 km · 16,481
- Brunssum13 km · 27,474
All municipalities in Zuid-Limburg (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Simpelveld over time
Simpelveld had 10,741 residents in 2016 and 10,459 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,477 |
| 2022 | 10,425 |
| 2023 | 10,396 |
| 2024 | 10,255 |
| 2025 | 10,270 |
| 2026 | 10,459 |
Did you know?
- “Dwellings without natural gas”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings built since 2000”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Business establishments”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 2,245 football pitches.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Heerlen (87,764 residents), 5.4 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,248 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Simpelveld
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 | Simpelveld | 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) | 12.1% | 12.6% | 14.8% | ranked 322 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −5.6 ‰ | −4.3 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 309 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.0 ‰ | 6.2 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 152 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 5,162 dwellings | 551,489 | 8,274,510 | ranked 325 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 20.0% | 15.4% | 13.1% | ranked 77 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 9.1% | 14.5% | 19.9% | ranked 333 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 76.0% | 72.3% | 79.5% | ranked 213 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 64.5% | 61.1% | 66.7% | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 23.5% | 25.2% | 23.7% | ranked 175 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 309,000 € | 351,319 € | 438,000 € | ranked 325 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.5 ‰ | 13.8 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 329 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 990 m³ | 887 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,760 kWh | 2,783 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 192 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 2% | 6% | 7% | ranked 339 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 45% | 44% | 46% | ranked 183 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 6% | 11% | 12% | ranked 318 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 2 ha | 112 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 131 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 87.6% | 88.3% | 90.3% | ranked 247 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.1% | 1.1% | 0.1% | ranked 164 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,360 kWh | 1,254 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 131 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,254 Wp | 1,958 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 245 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 244.1 ‰ | 225.6 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 103 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 56,000 € | 56,081 € | 63,450 € | ranked 288 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 985 | 133,200 | 2,612,530 | ranked 337 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 94.2 ‰ | 117.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 336 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.5% | 1.9% | 1.5% | ranked 133 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | ranked 202 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 592 ‰ | 520 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 7.3 km | 3.9 km | 4.6 km | ranked 111 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 35.0% | 39.8% | 33.3% | ranked 124 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 25.4 ‰ | 45.6 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 249 of 338 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | ranked 242 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 530 kg | 489 kg | 468 kg | ranked 87 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 18.7% | 32.1% | 16.8% | ranked 148 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 73.6% | 46.3% | 58.8% | ranked 90 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 2.9% | 15.4% | 11.7% | ranked 288 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Simpelveld | 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 | Simpelveld | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 28.8% | 28.5% | 28.5% | ranked 164 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Simpelveld: 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
87.6% in 2022, compared with 87.3% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.1% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,254 Wp in 2025, compared with 390 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
244.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 92.9 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
25.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 26.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Simpelveld
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25 | 2.7 |
| February | 42 | 3.3 |
| March | 84 | 5.8 |
| April | 129 | 9.6 |
| May | 157 | 13.3 |
| June | 167 | 17.0 |
| July | 166 | 18.5 |
| August | 138 | 17.8 |
| September | 103 | 15.0 |
| October | 61 | 11.5 |
| November | 32 | 6.7 |
| December | 20 | 4.0 |
Business sectors: Simpelveld
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical18.1% ×0.9
- Health and social work13.1% ×1.2
- Wholesale and retail trade12.6% ×1.0
- Construction10.1% ×1.0
- Other service activities9.5% ×1.8
- Arts, entertainment and recreation6.0% ×1.1
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing5.0% ×1.6
- Education5.0% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Simpelveld?
Simpelveld has 10,459 residents (2026), ranking 329 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Simpelveld?
Simpelveld covers 16.0 km², with a density of 652 people per km².
Is the population of Simpelveld growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Simpelveld went from 10,741 to 10,459, a change of −2.6%.
Where is Simpelveld?
Simpelveld is in Limburg. It belongs to Zuid-Limburg (COROP region). Latitude 50.835, longitude 5.982.
Dwellings without natural gas: what is the figure for Simpelveld?
In Simpelveld, “Dwellings without natural gas” stands at 2% (2025), ranking 339 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 7%.
Dwellings built since 2000: what is the figure for Simpelveld?
In Simpelveld, “Dwellings built since 2000” stands at 9.1% (2024), ranking 333 of 338 municipalities; the national median is 19.9%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Simpelveld?
In Simpelveld, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,062 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Simpelveld?
The nearest to Simpelveld are Heerlen (5.4 km), Gulpen-Wittem (6.3 km), Kerkrade (6.9 km), Voerendaal (7.1 km), Vaals (7.7 km).