Stein: population and statistics
Stein has a population of 24,691 (2026) across 20.7 km², or 1,195 people per km². It ranks 236 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −1.5% between 2016 and 2026.
- 24,691 residents
- 20.7 km²
- 1,195 people/km²
- 55 m
Key points
Among the 31 municipalities in Limburg, Stein ranks No. 17 by population.
New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants: 3.0 ‰ in Stein, compared with an average of 13.8 ‰ in Limburg and 19.7 ‰ nationally.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: 95.6% in Stein, compared with an average of 88.3% in Limburg and 82.6% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 18.2% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,067 kWh a year here.
Stein in numbers
Where is Stein?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Beek3.8 km · 16,141
- Sittard-Geleen6.9 km · 92,461
- Beekdaelen8.9 km · 35,903
- Meerssen9.2 km · 18,454
- Valkenburg aan de Geul12 km · 16,481
- Maastricht13 km · 126,026
- Voerendaal14 km · 12,432
- Brunssum14 km · 27,474
All municipalities in Zuid-Limburg (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Stein over time
Stein had 25,064 residents in 2016 and 24,691 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,875 |
| 2022 | 24,803 |
| 2023 | 24,772 |
| 2024 | 24,744 |
| 2025 | 24,653 |
| 2026 | 24,691 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Limburg for “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler”.
- “New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 2,894 football pitches.
- Its population density is 2.2 times the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Beek, 3.8 km away.
All indicators for Stein
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 | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 30.1% | 26.2% | 23.6% | ranked 12 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 12.0% | 12.6% | 14.8% | ranked 325 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −5.7 ‰ | −4.3 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 312 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 2.1 ‰ | 6.2 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 272 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 11,886 dwellings | 551,489 | 8,274,510 | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 12.2% | 15.4% | 13.1% | ranked 187 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 10.8% | 14.5% | 19.9% | ranked 321 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 82.2% | 72.3% | 79.5% | ranked 137 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 72.0% | 61.1% | 66.7% | ranked 69 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 21.8% | 25.2% | 23.7% | ranked 208 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 353,000 € | 351,319 € | 438,000 € | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.0 ‰ | 13.8 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 336 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 900 m³ | 887 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 164 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,940 kWh | 2,783 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 119 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 4% | 6% | 7% | ranked 287 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 54% | 44% | 46% | ranked 54 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) | 95.6% | 88.3% | 90.3% | ranked 3 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,530 kWh | 1,254 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 74 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,458 Wp | 1,958 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 207 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 274.1 ‰ | 225.6 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 44 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 57,600 € | 56,081 € | 63,450 € | ranked 265 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 2,610 | 133,200 | 2,612,530 | ranked 289 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 105.7 ‰ | 117.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 323 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.5% | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.7% | 3.6% | 2.3% | ranked 125 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 598 ‰ | 520 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 8 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 3.3 km | 3.9 km | 4.6 km | ranked 210 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 32.9% | 39.8% | 33.3% | ranked 179 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 30.3 ‰ | 45.6 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 183 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.0 ‰ | 17.2 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 177 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | ranked 161 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 422 kg | 489 kg | 468 kg | ranked 257 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 44.3% | 32.1% | 16.8% | ranked 46 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 44.2% | 46.3% | 58.8% | ranked 237 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 6.5% | 15.4% | 11.7% | ranked 239 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 0.8 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km | ranked 288 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Stein | Limburg | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 25.9% | 28.5% | 28.5% | ranked 229 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Stein: 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
95.6% in 2022, compared with 97.4% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,458 Wp in 2025, compared with 545 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
274.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 127.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
30.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 33.9 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
11.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 13.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Stein
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25 | 3.1 |
| February | 42 | 3.7 |
| March | 84 | 6.2 |
| April | 130 | 10.0 |
| May | 159 | 13.7 |
| June | 168 | 17.3 |
| July | 166 | 18.9 |
| August | 138 | 18.1 |
| September | 103 | 15.4 |
| October | 61 | 11.8 |
| November | 31 | 7.1 |
| December | 20 | 4.3 |
Business sectors: Stein
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical18.2% ×0.9
- Health and social work13.8% ×1.3
- Wholesale and retail trade13.0% ×1.0
- Other service activities9.8% ×1.8
- Construction9.4% ×0.9
- Administrative and support services5.5% ×1.0
- Arts, entertainment and recreation5.4% ×1.0
- Education5.0% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Stein?
Stein has 24,691 residents (2026), ranking 236 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Stein?
Stein covers 20.7 km², with a density of 1,195 people per km².
Is the population of Stein growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Stein went from 25,064 to 24,691, a change of −1.5%.
Where is Stein?
Stein is in Limburg. It belongs to Zuid-Limburg (COROP region). Latitude 50.968, longitude 5.765.
New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Stein?
In Stein, “New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 3.0 ‰ (2025), ranking 336 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 17.4 ‰.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: what is the figure for Stein?
In Stein, “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler” stands at 95.6% (2022), ranking 3 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 90.3%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Stein?
In Stein, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,067 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Stein?
The nearest to Stein are Beek (3.8 km), Sittard-Geleen (6.9 km), Beekdaelen (8.9 km), Meerssen (9.2 km), Valkenburg aan de Geul (12 km).