Diegten – Municipal Profile

April 30, 2026

This insight series introduces the 86 municipalities of Basel-Landschaft. It summarizes key indicators derived from various open data datasets published on data.bl.ch. Today’s featured municipality is Diegten.

Photo: Photoramacolor AG, Diegten, BL, 1992, on Image Archive, ETH Library, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0..

Diegten, located in the Bezirk Waldenburg at an altitude of 469 meters above sea level, covers a total surface area of 964 hectares. Table 2 summarizes the key features of the municipality, and figure 1 shows Diegten on the map.

The history of Diegten is documented on its Wikipedia page, which notes that the municipality was first mentioned in historical records in 1152 as Dietingoven, with the name evolving over time to its current form. Archaeological evidence indicates that the area was inhabited during Roman times, and by 1382, a settlement called Tüllikon existed in what is now Diegten. After changing hands several times, Diegten came under the complete control of the city of Basel in 1487.

As of 2025, Diegten has a population of 1,664, with 839 women and 825 men. The proportion of foreigners is 15.49 percent, while Swiss citizens make up the remainder. The population is composed of 308 children (0-17 years), 1,045 working-age adults (18-65 years), and 311 older adults (over 65 years). In terms of population size, Diegten ranks 36th among the 86 municipalities of Baselland. Table 2 shows the population by age groups since 2005.

The municipality’s total surface area of 964 hectares is distributed as follows: 11.4 percent is settlement area, 48.9 percent is agricultural area, and 39.5 percent is forest.

Diegten’s tax revenue ranks 43rd in the canton, and the tax revenue per adult capita is correspondingly positioned. The municipal tax multiplier and its rank among the 86 municipalities are also relevant for understanding the local tax burden.

In 2022, Diegten’s energy consumption was dominated by wood, with 6,702.58 MWh, followed by heating oil at 6,192.91 MWh, and electricity at 4,117.09 MWh. Environmental heat contributed 2,914.4 MWh, while photovoltaic systems generated 995.62 MWh and thermal solar energy added 137.84 MWh. Electricity consumption per capita in Diegten is 2.5 MWh, ranking 78th among all municipalities in the canton. This relatively low per capita consumption may be influenced by the absence of significant industrial activity, which typically leads to higher electricity use.

As of 2026, Diegten has a total of 1,133 passenger cars and delivery vans. Of these, 930 vehicles run on combustion engines (mainly petrol and diesel), while 203 are electric cars, representing 17.9 percent of the total vehicle stock. Table 3 below provides a detailed breakdown of the vehicle stock.

In 2024, Diegten recycled a total of 10 kg per capita of glass, ranking 84th in the canton. Green waste recycling amounted to 110 kg per capita, ranking 33rd. Household waste and bulky waste totaled 77 kg per capita, ranking 85th. Oil recycling reached 1 kg per capita, ranking 6th, which places Diegten among the top 10 municipalities for this category. Paper and cardboard recycling was 10 kg per capita, ranking 76th, while other metals were recycled at 3 kg per capita, ranking 24th. Tinplate and aluminum recycling was negligible at 0 kg per capita, ranking 82nd. Table 4 shows the total recycled waste, recycled waste per capita, and the corresponding canton-wide comparison values. Since only one category (oil) ranks within the top 10, Diegten is not among the leading municipalities in overall recycling performance.


Table 1: Summary of latest Data on Diegten
metric value
Municipality Diegten
District Bezirk Waldenburg
Elevation (m above sea level) 469
Total Area (ha) 964
Settlement Area % 11.4
Agricultural Area % 48.9
Forest Area % 39.5
Unproductive Area % 0.1
Households (2024) 690
Population (2024) 1672
Foreign Nationals % 15.5
Public Primary School Pupils (2024) 187
Workplaces (2023) 110
Employees (2023) 428
Employees Sector 1 % 23.6
Employees Sector 2 % 24.3
Employees Sector 3 % 52.1
Housing Stock (2024) 770.0
Single-Family Houses % 53.4
Completed Dwellings (2024)
Vacancy Rate % (2025)
Residential Land Price (CHF/m², 2022–2024) 452
Tax Revenue (1,000 CHF, 2024) 2848
Municipal Tax Rate (2025) 56
Website www.diegten.ch


Table 2: Population of Diegten since 2005
jahr Children Working Population Older Adults Total
2025 308 1031 325 1664
2024 314 1032 326 1672
2023 314 1026 312 1652
2022 315 1038 301 1654
2021 310 1053 297 1660
2020 294 1035 295 1624
2015 342 1017 262 1621
2010 345 1018 205 1568
2005 383 982 148 1513


Table 3: Passenger Cars and Delivery Vans in Diegten by Fuel Type
Year Fuel Number
2026 Benzin 612.0
2026 Diesel 316.0
2026 Electric/Hybrid 203.0
2026 Other 2.0
2026 Total 1133.0


Table 4: Recycled Waste in Diegten
jahr kategorie bfs_gemeindenummer Tons kg/capita Rank Tons Canton % Canton Tons
2024 Glas 2865 25 35 8 7223 0.35
2024 Grüngut 2865 76 104 36 24441 0.31
2024 Hauskehricht + Sperrgut 2865 98 135 44 42813 0.23
2024 Kunststoffe 2865 3 5 4 302 1.13
2024 Öle 2865 1 1 6 69 0.77
2024 Papier + Karton 2865 56 77 3 10866 0.52
2024 übrige Metalle 2865 0 1 39 555 0.08
2024 Weissblech + Alu 2865 2 2 16 579 0.3

Figure 1: Location of Diegten

Figure 2: Land Price in CHF by Municipality

Figure 3: Energy Consumption [MWh] in Diegten: Electricty, Oil and Natural Gas

Figure 4: Energy Consumption [mWh] of Aesch: Renewable Energy Carriers

Data source: Key Figures for Municipalities, Bruttoenergieverbrauch nach Gemeinde, Wohnbevölkerung nach Geschlecht, Alter, Gemeinde, Motor vehicle stock by vehicle type, fuel, municipality and month

🤖 This text was generated with the assistance of AI. All quantitative statements are derived directly from the dataset listed under Data Source.