Rünenberg is a municipality in the Bezirk Sissach of the canton of Basel-Landschaft. Situated at an altitude of 601 meters above sea level, it is one of the higher settlements in the canton, ranking 7th among the 86 municipalities. The community covers a total surface area of 497 hectares. Table 2 summarizes the key features of the municipality, and figure 1 shows the municipality on the map.

The history of Rünenberg is deeply rooted, with its first mention dating back to 1102. Historically significant as a location along a Roman road connecting Sommerau and Zeglingen, the village saw its estate granted to Count Hermann of Thierstein by the Bishop of Basel in 1392. It later became part of the city of Basel in 1461 and, following various administrative changes, joined the canton of Basel-Landschaft in 1833. A more detailed summary is available on its Wikipedia page.

As of 2025, Rünenberg has a population of 804 residents, ranking it 57th in the canton by size. The population is predominantly Swiss, with Swiss citizens making up 718 individuals and foreigners comprising 78, or 9.8 percent, placing it 75th for the proportion of foreign residents. The age distribution shows 133 young people (0-17 years), 443 individuals of working age (18-65), and 228 older adults (over 65). The gender ratio is nearly balanced, with 412 women and 392 men. Table 2 shows the population by age groups since 2005.

The land use in Rünenberg reflects its rural character across its 497-hectare area. Settlement area accounts for 7.5 percent of the total surface. Agricultural land is the dominant use at 54.6 percent, while forests cover 37.9 percent of the municipality.

In terms of municipal finances, Rünenberg's tax revenue ranks 57th in the canton. The municipal tax multiplier and its corresponding rank among the 86 municipalities are not provided in the available data.

Energy consumption in Rünenberg for 2022 shows a diverse mix. The largest energy carrier was heating oil at 3,682.61 MWh, followed by electricity at 2,228.53 MWh, ambient heat at 1,508.5 MWh, wood at 1,337.2 MWh, photovoltaics at 481.79 MWh, and thermal solar energy at 93.04 MWh. For electricity, a common benchmark, the per capita consumption is 2.8 MWh, ranking the municipality 68th in the canton. This places it in the middle range, where neither significant industrial activity driving consumption up nor very low usage is indicated.

The vehicle stock in Rünenberg, as of 2026, consists of 497 passenger cars and delivery vans. Of these, 407 are powered by combustion engines, primarily petrol or diesel, while 90 are electric vehicles. This results in an electric vehicle share of 18.1 percent in the local fleet. Refer to table 3 for details.

Waste recycling data from 2024 shows Rünenberg as a leading municipality in several categories. The community recycled 7 kg of plastics per capita, ranking 1st in the canton, and 91 kg of paper and cardboard per capita, ranking 2nd. It also ranked 1st for tinplate and aluminum recycling at 3 kg per capita, 6th for oils at 1 kg per capita, and 7th for glass at 40 kg per capita. Other categories include green waste at 43 kg per capita (rank 71), household and bulky waste at 140 kg per capita (rank 37), and other metals at 5 kg per capita (rank 18). With multiple top-10 rankings, Rünenberg is overall among the leading municipalities in recycling performance. Refer to Table 4 for total recycled waste, recycled waste per capita, and canton-wide comparison values.