Steenwijkerland: population and statistics
Steenwijkerland has a population of 45,926 (2026) across 288.2 km², or 159 people per km². It ranks 115 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +6.0% between 2016 and 2026.
- 45,926 residents
- 288.2 km²
- 159 people/km²
- 6 m
Key points
Among the 25 municipalities in Overijssel, Steenwijkerland ranks No. 8 by population.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: 2.0 km in Steenwijkerland, compared with an average of 1.3 km in Overijssel and 1.1 km nationally.
Average distance to a large supermarket: 1.8 km in Steenwijkerland, compared with an average of 1.1 km in Overijssel and 1.0 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.1% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,028 kWh a year here.
Steenwijkerland in numbers
Where is Steenwijkerland?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Westerveld8.1 km · 20,035
- Meppel10 km · 36,616
- Weststellingwerf14 km · 26,622
- Staphorst18 km · 18,219
- Heerenveen21 km · 51,955
- Zwartewaterland22 km · 23,733
- De Wolden24 km · 24,819
- Hoogeveen25 km · 56,781
All municipalities in Overijssel
All municipalities in Noord-Overijssel (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Steenwijkerland over time
Steenwijkerland had 43,333 residents in 2016 and 45,926 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 44,341 |
| 2022 | 44,741 |
| 2023 | 45,376 |
| 2024 | 45,472 |
| 2025 | 45,716 |
| 2026 | 45,926 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Overijssel for “Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water)”.
- “Average distance to the nearest GP practice”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 92% of municipalities.
- “Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water)”: lower than in 90% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 40,363 football pitches.
- Its population density is 3.4 times lower than the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Westerveld, 8.1 km away.
All indicators for Steenwijkerland
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 | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.8% | 21.4% | 23.6% | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.7% | 15.2% | 14.8% | ranked 176 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −1.8 ‰ | −0.5 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 194 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.2 ‰ | 6.3 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 148 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 20,632 dwellings | 531,844 | 8,274,510 | ranked 114 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 19.5% | 16.1% | 13.1% | ranked 80 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 21.4% | 21.1% | 19.9% | ranked 125 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 84.5% | 74.8% | 79.5% | ranked 99 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 66.3% | 61.9% | 66.7% | ranked 181 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 25.0% | 26.3% | 23.7% | ranked 142 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 374,000 € | 395,811 € | 438,000 € | ranked 270 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.2 ‰ | 18.2 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 197 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 960 m³ | 877 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 92 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,840 kWh | 2,784 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 151 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 9% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 47% | 45% | 46% | ranked 158 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 12% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 1 ha | 295 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 149 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 91.5% | 86.8% | 90.3% | ranked 99 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 3.3% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,380 kWh | 1,244 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 121 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,245 Wp | 2,004 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 107 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 234.8 ‰ | 214.3 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 136 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 58,900 € | 60,610 € | 63,450 € | ranked 249 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 6,330 | 149,080 | 2,612,530 | ranked 107 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 137.8 ‰ | 124.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 152 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.5% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 3.1% | 3.4% | 2.3% | ranked 97 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 539 ‰ | 482 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 102 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 7.5 km | 3.9 km | 4.6 km | ranked 107 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 34.5% | 36.1% | 33.3% | ranked 138 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 30.7 ‰ | 37.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 174 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 10.1 ‰ | 16.5 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 204 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.3 ‰ | 4.3 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 106 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.2 ‰ | 4.3 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 134 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.8 km | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 428 kg | 429 kg | 468 kg | ranked 249 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 7.3% | 20.9% | 16.8% | ranked 305 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 56.0% | 60.0% | 58.8% | ranked 187 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 34.8% | 14.8% | 11.7% | ranked 44 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.0 km | 1.3 km | 1.2 km | ranked 19 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Steenwijkerland | Overijssel | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 25.5% | 29.5% | 28.5% | ranked 245 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Steenwijkerland: 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
91.5% in 2022, compared with 94.2% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.1% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,245 Wp in 2025, compared with 427 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
234.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 77.3 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
30.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 34.2 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
10.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 11.2 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.2 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
3.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.6 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Steenwijkerland
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 3.3 |
| February | 37 | 3.5 |
| March | 81 | 5.8 |
| April | 129 | 9.5 |
| May | 156 | 13.2 |
| June | 166 | 16.5 |
| July | 163 | 18.2 |
| August | 137 | 17.6 |
| September | 96 | 15.2 |
| October | 54 | 11.5 |
| November | 26 | 7.1 |
| December | 16 | 4.4 |
Business sectors: Steenwijkerland
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.1% ×0.8
- Wholesale and retail trade13.6% ×1.1
- Construction11.0% ×1.0
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing9.9% ×3.2
- Health and social work8.2% ×0.8
- Other service activities5.7% ×1.1
- Accommodation and food services5.6% ×1.6
- Education5.2% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Steenwijkerland?
Steenwijkerland has 45,926 residents (2026), ranking 115 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Steenwijkerland?
Steenwijkerland covers 288.2 km², with a density of 159 people per km².
Is the population of Steenwijkerland growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Steenwijkerland went from 43,333 to 45,926, a change of +6.0%.
Where is Steenwijkerland?
Steenwijkerland is in Overijssel. It belongs to Noord-Overijssel (COROP region). Latitude 52.783, longitude 6.117.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: what is the figure for Steenwijkerland?
In Steenwijkerland, “Average distance to the nearest GP practice” stands at 2.0 km (2025), ranking 19 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.2 km.
Average distance to a large supermarket: what is the figure for Steenwijkerland?
In Steenwijkerland, “Average distance to a large supermarket” stands at 1.8 km (2025), ranking 24 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.0 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Steenwijkerland?
In Steenwijkerland, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,028 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Steenwijkerland?
The nearest to Steenwijkerland are Westerveld (8.1 km), Meppel (10 km), Weststellingwerf (14 km), Staphorst (18 km), Heerenveen (21 km).