Soest: population and statistics
Soest has a population of 47,853 (2026) across 46.2 km², or 1,035 people per km². It ranks 106 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +5.2% between 2016 and 2026.
- 47,853 residents
- 46.2 km²
- 1,035 people/km²
- 12 m
Key points
Among the 26 municipalities in Utrecht, Soest ranks No. 11 by population.
Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water): 40.5% in Soest, compared with an average of 12.1% in Utrecht and 13.5% nationally.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: 2.5 ‰ in Soest, compared with an average of 3.7 ‰ in Utrecht and 4.4 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 23.7% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 1,001 kWh a year here.
Soest in numbers
Where is Soest?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Baarn3.2 km · 25,435
- Amersfoort7.6 km · 163,764
- Eemnes8.0 km · 10,065
- Laren8.7 km · 11,547
- Hilversum8.7 km · 94,595
- Bunschoten9.5 km · 22,905
- Blaricum10 km · 12,938
- De Bilt11 km · 43,687
All municipalities in Utrecht (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Soest over time
Soest had 45,487 residents in 2016 and 47,853 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 46,906 |
| 2022 | 47,113 |
| 2023 | 47,439 |
| 2024 | 47,682 |
| 2025 | 47,999 |
| 2026 | 47,853 |
Did you know?
- “Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water)”: higher than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 6,478 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Baarn, 3.2 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Amersfoort (163,764 residents), 7.6 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 4,004 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
All indicators for Soest
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 | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.3% | 18.8% | 23.6% | ranked 147 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 15.4% | 16.1% | 14.8% | ranked 114 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −0.7 ‰ | 2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 143 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.3 ‰ | 4.3 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 146 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 21,532 dwellings | 620,065 | 8,274,510 | ranked 105 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 16.8% | 16.8% | 13.1% | ranked 118 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 13.2% | 23.5% | 19.9% | ranked 295 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 64.1% | 61.5% | 79.5% | ranked 290 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 64.4% | 58.3% | 66.7% | ranked 216 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 21.6% | 26.7% | 23.7% | ranked 215 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 533,000 € | 534,331 € | 438,000 € | ranked 54 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.7 ‰ | 21.3 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 262 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 930 m³ | 723 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 127 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,840 kWh | 2,549 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 151 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 18% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 37% | 38% | 46% | ranked 267 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 10% | 9% | 12% | ranked 223 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 80 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 83.5% | 77.0% | 90.3% | ranked 279 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.3% | 12.9% | 0.1% | ranked 125 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 830 kWh | 847 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 276 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 964 Wp | 1,120 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 284 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 173.9 ‰ | 180.7 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 284 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 68,800 € | 67,245 € | 63,450 € | ranked 83 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 7,845 | 222,825 | 2,612,530 | ranked 79 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 163.9 ‰ | 157.5 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 42 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | 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) | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.3% | ranked 139 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 509 ‰ | 417 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 169 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 2.3 km | 4.0 km | 4.6 km | ranked 281 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 34.8% | 39.1% | 33.3% | ranked 131 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 30.1 ‰ | 45.5 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 184 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 12.1 ‰ | 23.3 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 149 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 2.5 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 150 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.0 ‰ | 4.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 149 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.9 km | 0.9 km | 1.0 km | ranked 198 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 459 kg | 431 kg | 468 kg | ranked 196 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 30.9% | 38.0% | 16.8% | ranked 89 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 23.9% | 41.7% | 58.8% | ranked 292 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 40.5% | 12.1% | 11.7% | ranked 31 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 0.8 km | 0.9 km | 1.2 km | ranked 288 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Soest | Utrecht | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 37.6% | 41.9% | 28.5% | ranked 58 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.7 km | 0.7 km | 0.8 km | ranked 219 of 342 |
Soest: 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
83.5% in 2022, compared with 83.7% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.3% in 2022, compared with 0.3% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
964 Wp in 2025, compared with 313 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
173.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 57.4 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
30.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 33.6 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
12.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 13.0 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
2.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.8 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
3.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.6 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Soest
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 3.6 |
| February | 38 | 3.8 |
| March | 80 | 6.2 |
| April | 126 | 9.8 |
| May | 152 | 13.5 |
| June | 161 | 16.8 |
| July | 157 | 18.5 |
| August | 132 | 17.8 |
| September | 94 | 15.3 |
| October | 56 | 11.8 |
| November | 27 | 7.3 |
| December | 17 | 4.6 |
Business sectors: Soest
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical23.7% ×1.1
- Wholesale and retail trade12.2% ×0.9
- Health and social work11.5% ×1.1
- Construction10.7% ×1.0
- Education7.0% ×1.2
- Administrative and support services6.4% ×1.2
- Information and communication5.8% ×1.1
- Other service activities5.0% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Soest?
Soest has 47,853 residents (2026), ranking 106 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Soest?
Soest covers 46.2 km², with a density of 1,035 people per km².
Is the population of Soest growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Soest went from 45,487 to 47,853, a change of +5.2%.
Where is Soest?
Soest is in Utrecht. It belongs to Utrecht (COROP region). Latitude 52.183, longitude 5.283.
Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water): what is the figure for Soest?
In Soest, “Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water)” stands at 40.5% (2022), ranking 31 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 11.7%.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Soest?
In Soest, “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 2.5 ‰ (2025), ranking 150 of 171 municipalities; the national median is 3.8 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Soest?
In Soest, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 1,001 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Soest?
The nearest to Soest are Baarn (3.2 km), Amersfoort (7.6 km), Eemnes (8.0 km), Laren (8.7 km), Hilversum (8.7 km).