Dutch municipalities ranked by livability and prosperity

The annual Gemeenteatlas 2026 has released rankings for the 50 largest municipalities in the Netherlands, evaluating factors such as health, safety, social cohesion, and nature. Hengelo emerged as the top-scoring city for general well-being, followed by Zwolle, Alphen aan den Rijn, Alkmaar, and Deventer.

When assessing residential attractiveness based on accessibility to jobs and services, Amsterdam holds the top position. In contrast, cities like The Hague and Rotterdam scored lowest. When factoring in location and travel distance to amenities, the rankings shift, with Zwolle and Deventer performing better than Hengelo.

Emmen was ranked as the least attractive municipality to live in, placing 50th. However, the municipality showed significant improvement in broad prosperity, rising to 13th place. The report noted that for border regions like Emmen, German employment and services play a crucial role, with 37.5 percent of accessible jobs for Emmen residents located in Germany.