Drechterland: population and statistics
Drechterland has a population of 20,550 (2026) across 58.9 km², or 349 people per km². It ranks 272 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +5.9% between 2016 and 2026.
- 20,550 residents
- 58.9 km²
- 349 people/km²
- −1 m
Key points
Among the 44 municipalities in North Holland, Drechterland ranks No. 32 by population.
Dwellings mainly heated by electricity: 21% in Drechterland, compared with an average of 8% in North Holland and 10% nationally.
Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water): 0.3% in Drechterland, compared with an average of 11.0% in North Holland and 13.5% 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 1,063 kWh a year here.
Drechterland in numbers
Where is Drechterland?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Stede Broec5.5 km · 22,445
- Hoorn6.5 km · 76,202
- Enkhuizen8.7 km · 18,738
- Medemblik12 km · 46,305
- Koggenland15 km · 24,214
- Opmeer16 km · 12,669
- Edam-Volendam20 km · 37,126
- Dijk en Waard22 km · 91,411
All municipalities in North Holland
All municipalities in Kop van Noord-Holland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Drechterland over time
Drechterland had 19,400 residents in 2016 and 20,550 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 19,838 |
| 2022 | 19,983 |
| 2023 | 20,385 |
| 2024 | 20,496 |
| 2025 | 20,476 |
| 2026 | 20,550 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in North Holland for “Dwellings with solar power”.
- Number 1 in North Holland for “Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling”.
- “Dwellings mainly heated by electricity”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water)”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65”: lower than in 95% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 8,248 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Stede Broec, 5.5 km away.
All indicators for Drechterland
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 | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 23.7% | 19.4% | 23.6% | ranked 168 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 15.3% | 14.5% | 14.8% | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 0.7 ‰ | 0.7 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 80 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | −1.7 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 322 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 8,738 dwellings | 1,420,067 | 8,274,510 | ranked 276 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 15.7% | 25.0% | 13.1% | ranked 134 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 26.8% | 20.8% | 19.9% | ranked 37 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 87.5% | 50.2% | 79.5% | ranked 37 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 74.0% | 51.8% | 66.7% | ranked 39 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 19.5% | 30.5% | 23.7% | ranked 258 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 461,000 € | 524,447 € | 438,000 € | ranked 139 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 18.9 ‰ | 22.5 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 143 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 910 m³ | 746 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 153 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,040 kWh | 2,350 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 9% | 13% | 7% | ranked 74 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 60% | 28% | 46% | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 21% | 8% | 12% | ranked 3 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 191 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.5% | 80.6% | 90.3% | ranked 158 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) | 1,610 kWh | 600 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 50 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,227 Wp | 890 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 111 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 278.9 ‰ | 137.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 43 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 66,000 € | 65,353 € | 63,450 € | ranked 109 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 2,975 | 533,195 | 2,612,530 | ranked 265 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 144.8 ‰ | 177.2 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 113 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.3% | 1.7% | 1.5% | ranked 233 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.4% | 3.5% | 2.3% | ranked 321 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 518 ‰ | 385 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 158 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 3.4 km | 3.7 km | 4.6 km | ranked 204 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.3 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 30.2% | 43.0% | 33.3% | ranked 268 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 22.4 ‰ | 56.3 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 288 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 8.2 ‰ | 27.4 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 245 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.7 km | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | ranked 31 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 586 kg | 445 kg | 468 kg | ranked 50 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 14.1% | 44.6% | 16.8% | ranked 198 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 83.1% | 33.6% | 58.8% | ranked 18 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 0.3% | 11.0% | 11.7% | ranked 337 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.6 km | 0.9 km | 1.2 km | ranked 56 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Drechterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 25.7% | 39.0% | 28.5% | ranked 238 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.7 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Drechterland: 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
90.5% in 2022, compared with 96.8% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,227 Wp in 2025, compared with 643 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
278.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 102.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
22.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 28.0 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
8.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 11.2 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Drechterland
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 4.5 |
| February | 38 | 4.2 |
| March | 83 | 6.1 |
| April | 132 | 9.3 |
| May | 162 | 12.9 |
| June | 170 | 16.1 |
| July | 166 | 18.0 |
| August | 138 | 17.9 |
| September | 96 | 15.8 |
| October | 54 | 12.3 |
| November | 26 | 8.3 |
| December | 17 | 5.6 |
Business sectors: Drechterland
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
- Construction14.5% ×1.4
- Wholesale and retail trade10.4% ×0.8
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing8.7% ×2.9
- Health and social work8.7% ×0.8
- Other service activities6.4% ×1.2
- Manufacturing4.7% ×1.3
- Education4.7% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Drechterland?
Drechterland has 20,550 residents (2026), ranking 272 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Drechterland?
Drechterland covers 58.9 km², with a density of 349 people per km².
Is the population of Drechterland growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Drechterland went from 19,400 to 20,550, a change of +5.9%.
Where is Drechterland?
Drechterland is in North Holland. It belongs to Kop van Noord-Holland (COROP region). Latitude 52.667, longitude 5.167.
Dwellings mainly heated by electricity: what is the figure for Drechterland?
In Drechterland, “Dwellings mainly heated by electricity” stands at 21% (2025), ranking 3 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 12%.
Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water): what is the figure for Drechterland?
In Drechterland, “Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water)” stands at 0.3% (2022), ranking 337 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 11.7%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Drechterland?
In Drechterland, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,063 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Drechterland?
The nearest to Drechterland are Stede Broec (5.5 km), Hoorn (6.5 km), Enkhuizen (8.7 km), Medemblik (12 km), Koggenland (15 km).