Waterland: population and statistics
Waterland has a population of 17,721 (2026) across 52.0 km², or 341 people per km². It ranks 293 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.4% between 2016 and 2026.
- 17,721 residents
- 52.0 km²
- 341 people/km²
- −6 m
Key points
Among the 44 municipalities in North Holland, Waterland ranks No. 34 by population.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: 94.4% in Waterland, compared with an average of 80.6% in North Holland and 82.6% nationally.
Average distance to a large supermarket: 2.1 km in Waterland, compared with an average of 0.8 km in North Holland and 1.0 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 25.9% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,035 kWh a year here.
Waterland in numbers
Where is Waterland?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Edam-Volendam6.3 km · 37,126
- Purmerend7.1 km · 96,182
- Landsmeer7.6 km · 11,685
- Oostzaan9.6 km · 9,778
- Wormerland12 km · 16,328
- Diemen13 km · 33,327
- Amsterdam13 km · 941,927
- Almere16 km · 232,619
All municipalities in North Holland
All municipalities in Groot-Amsterdam (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Waterland over time
Waterland had 17,304 residents in 2016 and 17,721 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,312 |
| 2022 | 17,343 |
| 2023 | 17,609 |
| 2024 | 17,525 |
| 2025 | 17,556 |
| 2026 | 17,721 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in North Holland for “Average distance to a large supermarket”.
- “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler”: higher than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings built since 2000”: lower than in 94% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 7,284 football pitches.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Edam-Volendam (37,126 residents), 6.3 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,140 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Waterland
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 | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 26.9% | 19.4% | 23.6% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.4% | 14.5% | 14.8% | ranked 207 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.1 ‰ | 0.7 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 239 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 5.1 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 201 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 7,510 dwellings | 1,420,067 | 8,274,510 | ranked 296 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 18.4% | 25.0% | 13.1% | ranked 100 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 11.6% | 20.8% | 19.9% | ranked 317 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 83.8% | 50.2% | 79.5% | ranked 115 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 70.0% | 51.8% | 66.7% | ranked 114 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 24.8% | 30.5% | 23.7% | ranked 145 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 517,000 € | 524,447 € | 438,000 € | ranked 64 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.9 ‰ | 22.5 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 181 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 970 m³ | 746 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 78 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,710 kWh | 2,350 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 4% | 13% | 7% | ranked 287 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 37% | 28% | 46% | ranked 267 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 9% | 8% | 12% | ranked 256 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) | 94.4% | 80.6% | 90.3% | ranked 13 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) | 910 kWh | 600 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 258 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 902 Wp | 890 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 177.3 ‰ | 137.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 277 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 72,900 € | 65,353 € | 63,450 € | ranked 50 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 2,905 | 533,195 | 2,612,530 | ranked 269 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 163.9 ‰ | 177.2 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 42 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Waterland | 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) | 2.0% | 3.5% | 2.3% | ranked 224 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 462 ‰ | 385 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 265 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 11.1 km | 3.7 km | 4.6 km | ranked 58 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.0 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 33.5% | 43.0% | 33.3% | ranked 165 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 25.1 ‰ | 56.3 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 255 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 7.4 ‰ | 27.4 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 261 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 2.1 km | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | ranked 13 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 503 kg | 445 kg | 468 kg | ranked 117 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 9.9% | 44.6% | 16.8% | ranked 268 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 80.2% | 33.6% | 58.8% | ranked 47 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 8.1% | 11.0% | 11.7% | ranked 211 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Waterland | 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 | Waterland | North Holland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 38.8% | 39.0% | 28.5% | ranked 51 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.7 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Waterland: 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
94.4% in 2022, compared with 96.9% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
902 Wp in 2025, compared with 241 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
177.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 56.4 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
25.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 23.1 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
7.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 7.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Waterland
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 4.0 |
| February | 38 | 4.0 |
| March | 82 | 6.1 |
| April | 130 | 9.6 |
| May | 160 | 13.2 |
| June | 168 | 16.5 |
| July | 163 | 18.2 |
| August | 136 | 17.8 |
| September | 95 | 15.4 |
| October | 54 | 12.0 |
| November | 26 | 7.6 |
| December | 17 | 5.0 |
Business sectors: Waterland
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical25.9% ×1.2
- Construction9.1% ×0.9
- Health and social work8.9% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade8.1% ×0.6
- Arts, entertainment and recreation7.9% ×1.4
- Information and communication6.3% ×1.2
- Education5.8% ×1.0
- Administrative and support services4.6% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Waterland?
Waterland has 17,721 residents (2026), ranking 293 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Waterland?
Waterland covers 52.0 km², with a density of 341 people per km².
Is the population of Waterland growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Waterland went from 17,304 to 17,721, a change of +2.4%.
Where is Waterland?
Waterland is in North Holland. It belongs to Groot-Amsterdam (COROP region). Latitude 52.451, longitude 5.020.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler: what is the figure for Waterland?
In Waterland, “Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler” stands at 94.4% (2022), ranking 13 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 90.3%.
Average distance to a large supermarket: what is the figure for Waterland?
In Waterland, “Average distance to a large supermarket” stands at 2.1 km (2025), ranking 13 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.0 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Waterland?
In Waterland, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,035 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Waterland?
The nearest to Waterland are Edam-Volendam (6.3 km), Purmerend (7.1 km), Landsmeer (7.6 km), Oostzaan (9.6 km), Wormerland (12 km).