Open Data Insight of the Day

Münchenstein is a municipality in the Bezirk Arlesheim of the canton of Basel-Landschaft. It lies at an altitude of 278 meters above sea level, which places it among the lower-lying communities in the canton, ranking 84th out of 86 in terms of altitude. The municipality covers a total surface area of 719 hectares, making it the 28th largest in the canton by area. Table 2 summarizes the key features of the municipality, and figure 1 shows its location on the map.

The area now known as Münchenstein has a long history, first documented in 1196 under the name Kekingen. The current name appeared in 1295, referring to a castle built by the noble Münch family on a rocky outcrop, with "stein" meaning stone. Today, the municipality is divided into three main districts: Münchenstein Dorf, Neumünchenstein, and Neuewelt/Brüglingen, and is home to notable institutions like the University of Basel's Department of Sports and the Schaulager art museum. More details can be found on its Wikipedia page at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Münchenstein.

As of 2024, Münchenstein has a population of 12,508 residents, ranking it as the 7th most populous municipality in the canton. Of these residents, 8,886 are Swiss citizens and 3,622 are foreign nationals, meaning foreigners make up 29 percent of the population, the 13th highest proportion in Basel-Landschaft. The population structure shows 2,200 residents are aged 0-17, 7,824 are of working age (18-65), and 2,484 are older adults over 65. Women slightly outnumber men, with 6,400 women compared to 6,108 men. Table 2 shows the population by age groups since 2005.

Land use in Münchenstein is heavily oriented toward settlement. Of its 719-hectare total area, 58.6 percent is classified as settlement area. Agricultural land accounts for 14.9 percent, while forests cover 24.2 percent. The remaining 2.2 percent is unproductive surface.

The municipality generates substantial tax revenue, ranking 7th highest in the canton in total tax revenue. While the specific tax revenue per adult capita and the municipal tax multiplier are not provided in the data, their respective ranks among the 86 municipalities would offer further insight into the community's fiscal position.

In 2022, Münchenstein's total energy consumption was distributed across several carriers. Electricity was the largest source at 83,986 MWh, followed by natural gas at 72,229 MWh, heating oil at 35,652 MWh, wood at 13,920 MWh, district heating at 15,813 MWh, ambient heat at 10,817 MWh, photovoltaics at 5,275 MWh, and thermal solar energy at 1,348 MWh. Electricity is a useful benchmark, as it is used universally. Münchenstein's per capita electricity consumption was 6.8 MWh, ranking it 11th highest in the canton, placing it just outside the top 10. Such high per capita consumption can often be attributed to significant industrial or commercial activity within the municipality.

The vehicle stock in Münchenstein, as of 2026, consists of 7,193 passenger cars and light utility vehicles. Of these, 6,015 run on petrol, diesel, or other combustion engines, while 1,178 are fully electric vehicles. This means electric vehicles make up 16.4 percent of the total vehicle fleet. These figures are detailed in table 3.

In 2024, the municipality's waste recycling performance showed varied results across categories. For glass, residents recycled 24 kg per capita, ranking 38th in the canton. Green waste recycling was 65 kg per capita, ranking 62nd. Residual and bulky waste amounted to 148 kg per capita, ranking 23rd. Recycled paper and cardboard stood at 37 kg per capita, ranking 30th. For tinplate and aluminum, the rate was 2 kg per capita, achieving a much stronger rank of 16th. Other metals were recycled at 1 kg per capita, ranking 39th. No recycled oils were recorded. Table 4 provides a full overview of total recycled waste, per capita values, and canton-wide comparisons. With only one category ranked in the top 20 and none in the top 10, the data does not indicate that Münchenstein is among the canton's leading municipalities in overall recycling performance.