Altena: population and statistics
Altena has a population of 58,946 (2026) across 199.5 km², or 296 people per km². It ranks 76 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +6.4% between 2019 and 2026.
- 58,946 residents
- 199.5 km²
- 296 people/km²
- −1 m
Key points
Among the 56 municipalities in North Brabant, Altena ranks No. 12 by population.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: 1.0% in Altena, compared with an average of 1.6% in North Brabant and 1.6% nationally.
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants: 2.6 ‰ in Altena, compared with an average of 5.0 ‰ in North Brabant and 5.2 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 18.5% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,058 kWh a year here.
Altena in numbers
Where is Altena?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Gorinchem7.1 km · 39,060
- Hardinxveld-Giessendam9.7 km · 19,402
- Geertruidenberg10 km · 21,914
- Waalwijk12 km · 51,635
- Drimmelen14 km · 28,402
- Sliedrecht15 km · 26,531
- Heusden16 km · 46,689
- Oosterhout16 km · 58,726
All municipalities in North Brabant
All municipalities in Midden-Noord-Brabant (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Altena over time
Altena had 55,386 residents in 2019 and 58,946 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 56,352 |
| 2022 | 57,009 |
| 2023 | 57,726 |
| 2024 | 58,277 |
| 2025 | 58,726 |
| 2026 | 58,946 |
Did you know?
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: lower than in 93% of municipalities.
- “Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 92% of municipalities.
- “Residents with a higher professional or university degree”: lower than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 27,936 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Gorinchem, 7.1 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Dordrecht (122,991 residents), 20 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,232 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Altena
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 | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 21.4% | 22.0% | 23.6% | ranked 253 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 16.4% | 14.4% | 14.8% | ranked 54 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 1.3 ‰ | −0.9 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 63 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 6.4 ‰ | 8.1 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 172 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 23,643 dwellings | 1,201,666 | 8,274,510 | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 13.1% | 10.8% | 13.1% | ranked 168 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 22.7% | 21.5% | 19.9% | ranked 96 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 86.6% | 74.1% | 79.5% | ranked 53 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 69.0% | 61.6% | 66.7% | ranked 131 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 23.8% | 26.6% | 23.7% | ranked 168 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 452,000 € | 450,866 € | 438,000 € | ranked 151 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 18.8 ‰ | 21.7 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 146 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 900 m³ | 824 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 164 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,070 kWh | 2,814 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 13% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 46% | 42% | 46% | ranked 168 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 13% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 11 ha | 319 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 71 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.4% | 84.3% | 90.3% | ranked 61 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 5.8% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,360 kWh | 1,160 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 131 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,754 Wp | 1,877 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 165 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 203.4 ‰ | 203.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 223 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 66,000 € | 63,189 € | 63,450 € | ranked 109 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 8,770 | 375,525 | 2,612,530 | ranked 66 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 148.8 ‰ | 140.3 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 93 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.0% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 311 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.7% | 2.9% | 2.3% | ranked 284 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 509 ‰ | 494 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 169 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 12.5 km | 6.3 km | 4.6 km | ranked 46 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.4 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 21 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 29.9% | 37.2% | 33.3% | ranked 276 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 27.4 ‰ | 44.5 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 220 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 10.3 ‰ | 19.2 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 194 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.3 ‰ | 4.4 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 106 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.6 ‰ | 5.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 163 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | ranked 161 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 415 kg | 457 kg | 468 kg | ranked 269 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 11.4% | 28.1% | 16.8% | ranked 237 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 75.2% | 50.6% | 58.8% | ranked 80 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 11.2% | 16.0% | 11.7% | ranked 174 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.1 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km | ranked 173 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Altena | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 21.8% | 32.2% | 28.5% | ranked 310 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Altena: 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
92.4% in 2022, compared with 94.4% in 2019
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2019
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,754 Wp in 2025, compared with 411 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
203.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 61.8 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
27.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 28.3 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
10.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 12.8 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.1 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
2.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Altena
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 23 | 3.8 |
| February | 40 | 4.0 |
| March | 84 | 6.4 |
| April | 131 | 10.0 |
| May | 158 | 13.7 |
| June | 169 | 17.1 |
| July | 164 | 18.7 |
| August | 138 | 18.0 |
| September | 100 | 15.5 |
| October | 59 | 12.0 |
| November | 29 | 7.5 |
| December | 18 | 4.8 |
Business sectors: Altena
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical18.5% ×0.9
- Wholesale and retail trade16.4% ×1.3
- Construction14.6% ×1.4
- Health and social work7.0% ×0.7
- Manufacturing6.2% ×1.8
- Transport and storage5.4% ×1.9
- Other service activities5.1% ×0.9
- Administrative and support services4.8% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Altena?
Altena has 58,946 residents (2026), ranking 76 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Altena?
Altena covers 199.5 km², with a density of 296 people per km².
Is the population of Altena growing?
Between 2019 and 2026, the population of Altena went from 55,386 to 58,946, a change of +6.4%.
Where is Altena?
Altena is in North Brabant. It belongs to Midden-Noord-Brabant (COROP region). Latitude 51.767, longitude 4.967.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Altena?
In Altena, “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65” stands at 1.0% (2026), ranking 311 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.5%.
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Altena?
In Altena, “Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 2.6 ‰ (2025), ranking 163 of 178 municipalities; the national median is 3.9 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Altena?
In Altena, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,058 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Altena?
The nearest to Altena are Gorinchem (7.1 km), Hardinxveld-Giessendam (9.7 km), Geertruidenberg (10 km), Waalwijk (12 km), Drimmelen (14 km).