Den Helder: population and statistics
Den Helder has a population of 56,678 (2026) across 45.0 km², or 1,260 people per km². It ranks 83 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +0.7% between 2016 and 2026.
- 56,678 residents
- 45.0 km²
- 1,260 people/km²
- 4 m
Key points
Among the 44 municipalities in North Holland, Den Helder ranks No. 13 by population.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: 90.1 ‰ in Den Helder, compared with an average of 177.2 ‰ in North Holland and 144.1 ‰ nationally.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: 6.0 ‰ in Den Helder, compared with an average of 4.8 ‰ in North Holland and 4.4 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 15.3% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,058 kWh a year here.
Den Helder in numbers
Where is Den Helder?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Hollands Kroon9.6 km · 50,592
- Texel12 km · 13,958
- Schagen20 km · 48,778
- Opmeer31 km · 12,669
- Medemblik31 km · 46,305
- Bergen32 km · 29,653
- Dijk en Waard33 km · 91,411
- Vlieland36 km · 1,202
All municipalities in North Holland
All municipalities in Kop van Noord-Holland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Den Helder over time
Den Helder had 56,275 residents in 2016 and 56,678 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 56,582 |
| 2022 | 56,334 |
| 2023 | 56,539 |
| 2024 | 56,432 |
| 2025 | 56,662 |
| 2026 | 56,678 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in North Holland for “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants”.
- “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 6,301 football pitches.
- Its population density is 2.3 times the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Hollands Kroon, 9.6 km away.
All indicators for Den Helder
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 | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 25.5% | 19.4% | 23.6% | ranked 95 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.8% | 14.5% | 14.8% | ranked 253 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −2.8 ‰ | 0.7 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 228 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.0 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 152 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 28,808 dwellings | 1,420,067 | 8,274,510 | ranked 67 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 19.5% | 25.0% | 13.1% | ranked 80 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 10.8% | 20.8% | 19.9% | ranked 321 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 72.9% | 50.2% | 79.5% | ranked 243 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 55.5% | 51.8% | 66.7% | ranked 300 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 36.2% | 30.5% | 23.7% | ranked 13 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 290,000 € | 524,447 € | 438,000 € | ranked 332 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 9.8 ‰ | 22.5 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 281 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 820 m³ | 746 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 240 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,200 kWh | 2,350 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 333 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 3% | 13% | 7% | ranked 318 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 42% | 28% | 46% | ranked 222 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 7% | 8% | 12% | ranked 306 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 22 ha | 191 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 43 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.2% | 80.6% | 90.3% | ranked 69 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 8.8% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 820 kWh | 600 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 277 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,473 Wp | 890 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 203 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 224.7 ‰ | 137.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 164 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 51,700 € | 65,353 € | 63,450 € | ranked 324 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 5,105 | 533,195 | 2,612,530 | ranked 146 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 90.1 ‰ | 177.2 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 338 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.2% | 1.7% | 1.5% | ranked 265 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 3.9% | 3.5% | 2.3% | ranked 51 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 470 ‰ | 385 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 247 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 2.9 km | 3.7 km | 4.6 km | ranked 235 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.0 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 42.2% | 43.0% | 33.3% | ranked 33 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 57.5 ‰ | 56.3 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 20 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 24.8 ‰ | 27.4 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 28 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 6.0 ‰ | 4.8 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 3 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.8 ‰ | 5.9 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 26 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | ranked 198 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 550 kg | 445 kg | 468 kg | ranked 71 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 38.4% | 44.6% | 16.8% | ranked 64 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 38.5% | 33.6% | 58.8% | ranked 253 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 11.2% | 11.0% | 11.7% | ranked 174 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.1 km | 0.9 km | 1.2 km | ranked 173 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Den Helder | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 18.9% | 39.0% | 28.5% | ranked 332 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.7 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Den Helder: 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
92.2% in 2022, compared with 92.6% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,473 Wp in 2025, compared with 285 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
224.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 63.6 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
57.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 55.0 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
24.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 18.6 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
6.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.5 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
5.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.0 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Den Helder
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 5.1 |
| February | 37 | 4.7 |
| March | 82 | 6.1 |
| April | 131 | 8.9 |
| May | 162 | 12.2 |
| June | 168 | 15.4 |
| July | 165 | 17.6 |
| August | 137 | 17.8 |
| September | 92 | 16.1 |
| October | 52 | 12.9 |
| November | 24 | 9.1 |
| December | 16 | 6.5 |
Business sectors: Den Helder
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade15.3% ×1.2
- Professional, scientific and technical14.6% ×0.7
- Construction13.8% ×1.3
- Health and social work11.7% ×1.1
- Other service activities7.4% ×1.4
- Education5.8% ×1.0
- Accommodation and food services4.6% ×1.3
- Administrative and support services4.6% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Den Helder?
Den Helder has 56,678 residents (2026), ranking 83 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Den Helder?
Den Helder covers 45.0 km², with a density of 1,260 people per km².
Is the population of Den Helder growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Den Helder went from 56,275 to 56,678, a change of +0.7%.
Where is Den Helder?
Den Helder is in North Holland. It belongs to Kop van Noord-Holland (COROP region). Latitude 52.958, longitude 4.759.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Den Helder?
In Den Helder, “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 90.1 ‰ (2026), ranking 338 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 135.6 ‰.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Den Helder?
In Den Helder, “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 6.0 ‰ (2025), ranking 3 of 171 municipalities; the national median is 3.8 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Den Helder?
In Den Helder, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,058 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Den Helder?
The nearest to Den Helder are Hollands Kroon (9.6 km), Texel (12 km), Schagen (20 km), Opmeer (31 km), Medemblik (31 km).