Poverty and living standards in Leeuwarden, Netherlands: official figures
The average WOZ value of a home in Leeuwarden, the official valuation used for property tax, was €282,000 in 2026, below the national figure of €439,000, up 69% from €167,000 in 2020; that is 2nd lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
How many people are on benefits in Leeuwarden?
In 2026 the municipality of Leeuwarden had 14.9 benefit recipients under pension age for every 100 residents aged 15 to 64, 6th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 12.4).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people receive bijstand in Leeuwarden?
The municipality of Leeuwarden had 6.4 people on social assistance (bijstand) per 100 working-age residents in 2026, above the national figure of 3.5; that ranks 3rd highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, down from 7.0 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people get unemployment benefit in Leeuwarden?
Unemployment insurance (WW) was paid to 1.89 people per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Leeuwarden in 2026, against 1.60 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people are on disability benefit in Leeuwarden?
Leeuwarden had 6.3 disability benefit recipients per 100 working-age residents in 2026, below the national figure of 7.1.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Leeuwarden?
People living alone made up 49.0% of households in Leeuwarden in 2025, above the national figure of 40.1%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many new homes are built in Leeuwarden?
House building in the municipality of Leeuwarden reached 3.5 new homes per 1,000 in the stock in 2025, below the national figure of 8.4.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the crime rate in Leeuwarden?
Leeuwarden had 54.9 police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025 (7,135 in total, provisional), 12th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and above the national figure of 45.2.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyIs crime going up in Leeuwarden?
Recorded crime in Leeuwarden was down 14% in 2025 compared with 2015, when police registered 8,330 offences.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much violent crime is there in Leeuwarden?
Violent and sexual offences, including assault, threats and sexual crimes, ran at 5.6 per 1,000 residents in Leeuwarden in 2025, 14th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 4.6).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow common is burglary in Leeuwarden?
Theft and burglary without violence accounted for 24.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents of Leeuwarden in 2025.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Leeuwarden?
49% of the 66,821 households in Leeuwarden were people living alone in 2024, and 5.0% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Leeuwarden compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) (2026)
Leeuwarden ranks 30 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Groningen | €346,000 |
| 26 | Maastricht | €346,000 |
| 27 | Nissewaard | €339,000 |
| 28 | Enschede | €332,000 |
| 29 | Sittard-Geleen | €299,000 |
| 30 | Leeuwarden | €282,000 |
| 31 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €238,000 |
Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Leeuwarden ranks 6 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Enschede | 16.8 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 16.1 |
| 5 | Rotterdam | 15.2 |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 14.9 |
| 7 | Deventer | 14.4 |
| 8 | Venlo | 14.3 |
| 9 | s-Gravenhage | 14.1 |
Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Leeuwarden ranks 3 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 7.2 |
| 2 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 7.1 |
| 3 | Leeuwarden | 6.4 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 6.1 |
| 5 | Enschede | 5.7 |
| 6 | s-Gravenhage | 5.6 |
| 7 | Nijmegen | 5.5 |
Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) (2025)
Leeuwarden ranks 25 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Alkmaar | 28% |
| 23 | Breda | 28% |
| 24 | Apeldoorn | 28% |
| 25 | Leeuwarden | 28% |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 28% |
| 27 | Venlo | 28% |
| 28 | Almere | 27% |
New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes (2025)
Leeuwarden ranks 26 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Maastricht | 5.4 |
| 24 | Zoetermeer | 5.0 |
| 25 | Amersfoort | 4.6 |
| 26 | Leeuwarden | 3.5 |
| 27 | Arnhem | 3.4 |
| 28 | Haarlem | 3.0 |
| 29 | Sittard-Geleen | 2.8 |
Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Leeuwarden ranks 20 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | s-Hertogenbosch | 57.0 |
| 18 | Zwolle | 56.6 |
| 19 | Haarlem | 55.9 |
| 20 | Leeuwarden | 54.9 |
| 21 | Alkmaar | 52.3 |
| 22 | Sittard-Geleen | 51.7 |
| 23 | Zaanstad | 47.2 |
Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Leeuwarden ranks 14 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Maastricht | 5.9 |
| 12 | Venlo | 5.7 |
| 13 | Groningen | 5.6 |
| 14 | Leeuwarden | 5.6 |
| 15 | Nijmegen | 5.5 |
| 16 | Zwolle | 5.5 |
| 17 | Sittard-Geleen | 5.5 |
Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) (2025)
Leeuwarden ranks 6 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Nissewaard | 28.7% |
| 4 | Zwolle | 27.0% |
| 5 | Arnhem | 26.0% |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 25.8% |
| 7 | s-Gravenhage | 25.4% |
| 8 | Haarlemmermeer | 25.1% |
| 9 | Alphen aan den | 24.3% |
More on Leeuwarden: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clivcon: Urban Audit: living conditions (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bc58ab68d418…)
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Geregistreerde misdrijven en verdachten; soort misdrijf, regio (table 83648NED): police-recorded crime by province and municipality, 2015-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 301a92d5d72f…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.