Sluis: population and statistics
Sluis has a population of 23,199 (2026) across 278.6 km², or 83.3 people per km². It ranks 256 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −1.9% between 2016 and 2026.
- 23,199 residents
- 278.6 km²
- 83 people/km²
- 0 m
Key points
Among the 13 municipalities in Zeeland, Sluis ranks No. 9 by population.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: 48.6 km in Sluis, compared with an average of 16.6 km in Zeeland and 5.2 km nationally.
Average distance to a large supermarket: 2.4 km in Sluis, compared with an average of 1.3 km in Zeeland and 1.0 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 15.6% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,105 kWh a year here.
Sluis in numbers
Where is Sluis?
Population of Sluis over time
Sluis had 23,639 residents in 2016 and 23,199 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 23,166 |
| 2022 | 23,141 |
| 2023 | 23,243 |
| 2024 | 23,150 |
| 2025 | 23,094 |
| 2026 | 23,199 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Zeeland for “Average distance to the nearest railway station”.
- Number 1 in Zeeland for “Share of agricultural land (excluding water)”.
- “Average distance to the nearest railway station”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Household waste per inhabitant”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 39,027 football pitches.
- Its population density is 6.5 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Sluis
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 | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 30.4% | 25.5% | 23.6% | ranked 10 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 12.2% | 14.5% | 14.8% | ranked 319 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −7.0 ‰ | −3.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 326 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 4.6 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 212 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 14,158 dwellings | 193,454 | 8,274,510 | ranked 182 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 21.5% | 20.3% | 13.1% | ranked 59 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 14.7% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 268 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 84.4% | 80.1% | 79.5% | ranked 102 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 67.2% | 67.4% | 66.7% | ranked 159 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 16.1% | 21.4% | 23.7% | ranked 308 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 346,000 € | 342,360 € | 438,000 € | ranked 298 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.3 ‰ | 21.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 196 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 920 m³ | 848 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 138 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,460 kWh | 2,562 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 296 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 7% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 41% | 49% | 46% | ranked 231 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 10% | 12% | 12% | ranked 223 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 205 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.1% | 90.0% | 90.3% | ranked 73 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,100 kWh | 1,244 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,303 Wp | 2,852 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 102 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 286.3 ‰ | 262.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 27 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 56,300 € | 59,200 € | 63,450 € | ranked 284 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,650 | 51,595 | 2,612,530 | ranked 212 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 157.3 ‰ | 130.8 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 59 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.5% | ranked 265 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.2% | 3.0% | 2.3% | ranked 180 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 573 ‰ | 523 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 31 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 48.6 km | 16.6 km | 4.6 km | ranked 1 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.0 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 293 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 39.4% | 37.8% | 33.3% | ranked 59 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 32.6 ‰ | 37.0 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 139 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.1 ‰ | 12.5 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 172 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 2.4 km | 1.3 km | 1.0 km | ranked 1 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 739 kg | 661 kg | 468 kg | ranked 8 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 6.1% | 19.7% | 16.8% | ranked 324 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 87.6% | 69.2% | 58.8% | ranked 6 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 3.4% | 7.2% | 11.7% | ranked 279 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.3 km | 1.5 km | 1.2 km | ranked 7 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Sluis | Zeeland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 24.2% | 24.9% | 28.5% | ranked 273 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.3 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 9 of 342 |
Sluis: 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
92.1% in 2022, compared with 92.7% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,303 Wp in 2025, compared with 492 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
286.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 101.4 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
32.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 32.8 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
11.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 10.3 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Sluis
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25 | 4.5 |
| February | 42 | 4.6 |
| March | 88 | 6.9 |
| April | 138 | 10.2 |
| May | 165 | 13.6 |
| June | 172 | 16.9 |
| July | 168 | 18.6 |
| August | 142 | 18.2 |
| September | 103 | 16.0 |
| October | 60 | 12.6 |
| November | 30 | 8.2 |
| December | 20 | 5.4 |
Business sectors: Sluis
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade15.6% ×1.2
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing13.4% ×4.4
- Professional, scientific and technical13.2% ×0.6
- Accommodation and food services10.0% ×2.9
- Health and social work7.0% ×0.7
- Construction6.9% ×0.7
- Other service activities6.2% ×1.1
- Administrative and support services4.9% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Sluis?
Sluis has 23,199 residents (2026), ranking 256 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Sluis?
Sluis covers 278.6 km², with a density of 83 people per km².
Is the population of Sluis growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Sluis went from 23,639 to 23,199, a change of −1.9%.
Where is Sluis?
Sluis is in Zeeland. It belongs to Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen (COROP region). Latitude 51.350, longitude 3.500.
Average distance to the nearest railway station: what is the figure for Sluis?
In Sluis, “Average distance to the nearest railway station” stands at 48.6 km (2025), ranking 1 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 4.6 km.
Average distance to a large supermarket: what is the figure for Sluis?
In Sluis, “Average distance to a large supermarket” stands at 2.4 km (2025), ranking 1 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.0 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Sluis?
In Sluis, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,105 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Sluis?
The nearest to Sluis are Vlissingen (13 km), Middelburg (19 km), Veere (22 km), Terneuzen (24 km), Borsele (25 km).