Gelterkinden is a municipality in the Bezirk Sissach, situated in the Ergolztal at an elevation of 401 meters above sea level. It covers a total surface area of 978 hectares, making it the 12th largest municipality in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. The key features of the municipality are summarized in Table 2, and its location can be seen in Figure 1.

The history of Gelterkinden is shaped by its landscape. It lies in the Ergolztal, with its lowest point at 386 meters in the Ergolz riverbed and the highest at 680 meters on the Chienberg. The area includes the Chienberg and Farnsberg hills, which are part of a protected landscape, and the Eibachtal, traversed by a railway line connecting Basel to the Hauenstein-Basistunnel. A more detailed summary is available on its Wikipedia page.

As of 2025, Gelterkinden has a population of 6,556, ranking it as the 16th most populous municipality in the canton. The population consists of 20.12 percent foreigners, placing it 32nd in the canton for this proportion. The age distribution shows 1,122 residents are aged 0-17, 3,928 are of working age (18-65), and 1,506 are older adults (over 65). The gender ratio is nearly balanced, with 3,314 women and 3,242 men. The population development by age group since 2005 is detailed in Table 2.

The land use in Gelterkinden reflects its rural character within a sizable area. Of its 978 hectares, 19.0 percent is settlement area, 33.2 percent is agricultural land, and 47.3 percent is forest, with the remaining 0.5 percent classified as unproductive surface.

In terms of municipal finances, Gelterkinden ranks 19th in the canton for total tax revenue. The municipal tax multiplier and its corresponding rank among the 86 municipalities are detailed in Table 2, which also shows the tax revenue per adult capita.

The energy consumption profile for 2022 shows heating oil as the dominant source at 31,093 MWh, followed by electricity at 19,458 MWh. Other significant carriers include wood (8,704 MWh), ambient heat (9,274 MWh), and photovoltaics (2,973 MWh). For electricity consumption, a useful benchmark, Gelterkinden ranks 55th out of 86 municipalities in per capita use at 3.1 MWh. This mid-range ranking suggests a balanced mix of residential and commercial activity, as very high or low per capita consumption can often indicate significant industrial presence or absence.

The vehicle stock in Gelterkinden as of 2026 consists of 3,634 passenger cars and delivery vans. Of these, 2,998 run on petrol or diesel, while 636 are electric vehicles, representing an electric vehicle share of 17.5 percent. The full breakdown is provided in Table 3.

Waste recycling data from 2024 shows Gelterkinden's performance across different material streams. The municipality recycled 60 kg of paper and cardboard per capita, ranking 7th in the canton, and 3 kg of plastics per capita, ranking 11th. Other notable figures include 158 kg per capita of household and bulky waste (rank 14), 142 kg of green waste (rank 19), and 29 kg of glass (rank 19). With two categories ranked in the top 11, Gelterkinden demonstrates a strong overall commitment to recycling. The total recycled amounts and full canton-wide comparisons are available in Table 4.