Open Data Insight of the Day

Burg im Leimental is a small municipality in the Bezirk Laufen, situated at an altitude of 493 meters above sea level and covering a total surface area of 284 hectares. Table 2 summarizes the key features of the municipality, and figure 1 shows its location on the map.

The area has been inhabited since Roman times, as evidenced by coin finds. The castle Biedertan was granted as a fief to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1168 and later came under the control of the Bishop of Basel in 1269. Over the centuries, the name evolved from Biedertal to Burgtal and finally to Burg im Leimental. In 1815, it was assigned to the canton of Bern, and after initially favoring Basel-Stadt in a 1983 vote, it ultimately joined Basel-Landschaft in 1994. The municipality has had a coat of arms since 1946, reflecting its historical ties to the Lords of Wessenberg. More details can be found on its Wikipedia page.

In 2024, Burg im Leimental had a population of 289 residents. Of these, 251 were Swiss citizens and 38 were foreigners, representing a foreign population proportion of 13.15 percent. The age structure shows 46 young people aged 0-17, 183 in the working-age population of 18-65, and 60 older adults over 65. The gender ratio is nearly balanced, with 147 women and 142 men. With this population, the municipality ranks 80th out of 86 in the canton by total population. Table 2 shows the population by age groups since 2005.

The land use of the municipality is predominantly forested, with forests covering 81.3 percent of its 284-hectare surface. Agricultural land accounts for 12.5 percent, while the settlement area makes up 6.3 percent.

The municipality's tax revenue ranks 80th in the canton. The municipal tax multiplier and its corresponding rank among the 86 municipalities are not provided in the data.

In 2022, the municipality's energy consumption was led by heating oil at 1,605 MWh, followed by electricity at 1,058 MWh. Other significant sources included ambient heat at 599 MWh, wood at 408 MWh, and smaller contributions from liquefied gas, photovoltaics, and thermal solar energy. Electricity consumption per capita was 3.9 MWh, ranking the municipality 37th in the canton. This middle ranking suggests a typical level of consumption, not driven by significant industrial activity which can cause very high per capita use.

The vehicle stock in 2026 consisted of 198 passenger cars and delivery vans. Of these, 161 were powered by petrol, diesel, or other combustion engines, while 37 were electric vehicles, resulting in an electric vehicle share of 18.7 percent. This data is detailed in table 3.

In 2024, the municipality demonstrated strong performance in waste recycling. Residents recycled 257 kg of green waste per capita, ranking 2nd in the canton, and 206 kg of household refuse and bulky waste per capita, also ranking 2nd. Glass recycling was 31 kg per capita, ranking 13th. Other categories, such as paper and cardboard, other metals, and tinplate and aluminum, had lower per capita amounts and ranks. With two categories in the top 2, Burg im Leimental is overall among the leading municipalities in recycling performance. The total recycled waste, recycled waste per capita, and canton-wide comparison values are shown in table 4.