Poverty and living standards in Zwolle, Netherlands: official figures
Homes in Zwolle had an average WOZ value of €420,000 in 2026, 15th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up 67% from €252,000 in 2020.
How many people are on benefits in Zwolle?
People below state pension age receiving a benefit (unemployment, social assistance or disability) numbered 13.4 per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Zwolle in 2026, above the national figure of 12.4; that is 16th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people receive bijstand in Zwolle?
Social assistance (bijstand), the minimum-income benefit, went to 4.4 people under pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Zwolle in 2026, 12th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and above the national figure of 3.5, up from 4.3 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people get unemployment benefit in Zwolle?
Unemployment insurance (WW) was paid to 1.64 people per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Zwolle in 2026, against 1.60 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people are on disability benefit in Zwolle?
The municipality of Zwolle had 7.1 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 Zwolle?
People living alone made up 43.0% of households in Zwolle in 2025, above the national figure of 40.1%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many new homes are built in Zwolle?
Zwolle added 9.9 new-build homes for every 1,000 existing homes in 2025, 13th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 8.4).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the crime rate in Zwolle?
Police in the municipality of Zwolle recorded 7,570 crimes in 2025 (provisional figures), or 56.6 per 1,000 residents, above the national figure of 45.2; that is 14th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyIs crime going up in Zwolle?
Recorded crime in the municipality of Zwolle was up 1% in 2025 compared with 2015, when police registered 7,485 offences.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much violent crime is there in Zwolle?
Violent and sexual offences, including assault, threats and sexual crimes, ran at 5.5 per 1,000 residents in the municipality of Zwolle in 2025, 16th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 4.6).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow common is burglary in Zwolle?
Theft and burglary without violence accounted for 24.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Zwolle in 2025.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Zwolle?
43% of the 62,948 households in Zwolle were people living alone in 2024, and 4.7% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Zwolle compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) (2026)
Zwolle ranks 17 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Nijmegen | €426,000 |
| 15 | Zoetermeer | €424,000 |
| 16 | Zaanstad | €420,000 |
| 17 | Zwolle | €420,000 |
| 18 | Alkmaar | €419,000 |
| 19 | s-Gravenhage | €409,000 |
| 20 | Deventer | €401,000 |
Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Zwolle ranks 16 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Apeldoorn | 13.7 |
| 14 | Tilburg | 13.5 |
| 15 | Zaanstad | 13.4 |
| 16 | Zwolle | 13.4 |
| 17 | Nissewaard | 12.7 |
| 18 | Amsterdam | 12.7 |
| 19 | s-Hertogenbosch | 12.7 |
Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Zwolle ranks 12 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amsterdam | 5.3 |
| 10 | Tilburg | 4.5 |
| 11 | Sittard-Geleen | 4.4 |
| 12 | Zwolle | 4.4 |
| 13 | Venlo | 4.4 |
| 14 | Maastricht | 4.3 |
| 15 | Nissewaard | 4.1 |
Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) (2025)
Zwolle ranks 13 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Zoetermeer | 34% |
| 11 | Maastricht | 34% |
| 12 | s-Hertogenbosch | 33% |
| 13 | Zwolle | 33% |
| 14 | Utrecht | 31% |
| 15 | Leiden | 31% |
| 16 | Groningen | 31% |
New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes (2025)
Zwolle ranks 13 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Breda | 11.8 |
| 11 | s-Hertogenbosch | 10.3 |
| 12 | Nijmegen | 9.9 |
| 13 | Zwolle | 9.9 |
| 14 | Nissewaard | 8.5 |
| 15 | Zaanstad | 8.4 |
| 16 | Groningen | 7.7 |
Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Zwolle ranks 18 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Tilburg | 58.6 |
| 16 | Leiden | 57.3 |
| 17 | s-Hertogenbosch | 57.0 |
| 18 | Zwolle | 56.6 |
| 19 | Haarlem | 55.9 |
| 20 | Leeuwarden | 54.9 |
| 21 | Alkmaar | 52.3 |
Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Zwolle ranks 16 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Groningen | 5.6 |
| 14 | Leeuwarden | 5.6 |
| 15 | Nijmegen | 5.5 |
| 16 | Zwolle | 5.5 |
| 17 | Sittard-Geleen | 5.5 |
| 18 | Utrecht | 5.3 |
| 19 | Alkmaar | 5.3 |
Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) (2025)
Zwolle ranks 4 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoetermeer | 30.5% |
| 2 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 29.7% |
| 3 | Nissewaard | 28.7% |
| 4 | Zwolle | 27.0% |
| 5 | Arnhem | 26.0% |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 25.8% |
| 7 | s-Gravenhage | 25.4% |
More on Zwolle: 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…)
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