Best: population and statistics
Best has a population of 31,699 (2026) across 33.9 km², or 935 people per km². It ranks 185 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +9.4% between 2016 and 2026.
- 31,699 residents
- 33.9 km²
- 935 people/km²
- 17 m
Key points
Among the 56 municipalities in North Brabant, Best ranks No. 27 by population.
Dwellings built before 1946: 2.8% in Best, compared with an average of 10.8% in North Brabant and 18.0% nationally.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: 1.6 km in Best, compared with an average of 6.3 km in North Brabant and 5.2 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 21.3% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,037 kWh a year here.
Best in numbers
Where is Best?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Oirschot5.5 km · 19,801
- Son en Breugel7.6 km · 18,140
- Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten9.6 km · 24,473
- Boxtel10.0 km · 34,302
- Veldhoven10 km · 47,918
- Eindhoven11 km · 249,783
- Waalre14 km · 17,864
- Sint-Michielsgestel15 km · 30,191
All municipalities in North Brabant
All municipalities in Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Best over time
Best had 28,976 residents in 2016 and 31,699 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 30,216 |
| 2022 | 30,608 |
| 2023 | 30,897 |
| 2024 | 31,223 |
| 2025 | 31,652 |
| 2026 | 31,699 |
Did you know?
- “Dwellings built before 1946”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to the nearest railway station”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings mainly heated by electricity”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 4,746 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Oirschot, 5.5 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Veldhoven (47,918 residents), 10 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,148 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Best
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 | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 21.3% | 22.0% | 23.6% | ranked 256 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 15.3% | 14.4% | 14.8% | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 2.1 ‰ | −0.9 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 38 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 11.5 ‰ | 8.1 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 57 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 13,650 dwellings | 1,201,666 | 8,274,510 | ranked 189 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 2.8% | 10.8% | 13.1% | ranked 329 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 25.7% | 21.5% | 19.9% | ranked 51 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 80.1% | 74.1% | 79.5% | ranked 168 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 71.4% | 61.6% | 66.7% | ranked 80 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.6% | 26.6% | 23.7% | ranked 254 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 507,000 € | 450,866 € | 438,000 € | ranked 77 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 27.2 ‰ | 21.7 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 44 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 840 m³ | 824 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 224 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,990 kWh | 2,814 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 97 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 11% | 13% | 7% | ranked 52 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 53% | 42% | 46% | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 17% | 13% | 12% | ranked 19 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 5 ha | 319 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 111 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.2% | 84.3% | 90.3% | ranked 172 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) | 1,490 kWh | 1,160 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,903 Wp | 1,877 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 145 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 248.7 ‰ | 203.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 89 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 68,700 € | 63,189 € | 63,450 € | ranked 85 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 4,165 | 375,525 | 2,612,530 | ranked 187 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 131.4 ‰ | 140.3 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 203 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.1% | 2.9% | 2.3% | ranked 202 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 508 ‰ | 494 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 171 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 1.6 km | 6.3 km | 4.6 km | ranked 329 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.3 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 31.5% | 37.2% | 33.3% | ranked 231 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 39.8 ‰ | 44.5 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 81 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 13.8 ‰ | 19.2 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 117 of 320 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.7 ‰ | 5.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 104 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | 1.0 km | ranked 242 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 523 kg | 457 kg | 468 kg | ranked 93 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 29.3% | 28.1% | 16.8% | ranked 102 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 43.0% | 50.6% | 58.8% | ranked 242 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 22.2% | 16.0% | 11.7% | ranked 96 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.0 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km | ranked 206 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Best | North Brabant | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 38.3% | 32.2% | 28.5% | ranked 54 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.7 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 219 of 342 |
Best: 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
90.2% in 2022, compared with 94.7% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,903 Wp in 2025, compared with 721 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
248.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 88.5 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
39.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 36.9 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
13.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 17.4 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
3.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.3 ‰ in 2020
Sunshine and temperatures: Best
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 23 | 3.6 |
| February | 40 | 4.0 |
| March | 82 | 6.5 |
| April | 129 | 10.2 |
| May | 155 | 14.0 |
| June | 166 | 17.5 |
| July | 162 | 19.0 |
| August | 137 | 18.3 |
| September | 100 | 15.6 |
| October | 59 | 12.0 |
| November | 30 | 7.3 |
| December | 18 | 4.6 |
Business sectors: Best
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical21.3% ×1.0
- Wholesale and retail trade15.6% ×1.2
- Construction10.8% ×1.0
- Health and social work10.1% ×1.0
- Other service activities6.4% ×1.2
- Information and communication5.8% ×1.1
- Education5.8% ×1.0
- Administrative and support services4.3% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Best?
Best has 31,699 residents (2026), ranking 185 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Best?
Best covers 33.9 km², with a density of 935 people per km².
Is the population of Best growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Best went from 28,976 to 31,699, a change of +9.4%.
Where is Best?
Best is in North Brabant. It belongs to Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant (COROP region). Latitude 51.511, longitude 5.392.
Dwellings built before 1946: what is the figure for Best?
In Best, “Dwellings built before 1946” stands at 2.8% (2024), ranking 329 of 338 municipalities; the national median is 13.1%.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: what is the figure for Best?
In Best, “Average distance to the nearest railway station” stands at 1.6 km (2025), ranking 329 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 4.6 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Best?
In Best, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,037 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Best?
The nearest to Best are Oirschot (5.5 km), Son en Breugel (7.6 km), Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten (9.6 km), Boxtel (10.0 km), Veldhoven (10 km).