Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands

Netherlands: Self-employed persons by occupation was 1,518 Thousand persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1,518 Thousand persons
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
8th
of 36 countries
All-time high
1,590 Thousand persons
in 2024
All-time low
463.9 Thousand persons
in 1985
Years of data
41
1983–2025

Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands, 1983–2025

5007501.0k1.2k1.5k1983200420251983: 467.4 Thousand persons1985: 463.9 Thousand persons1987: 585.1 Thousand persons1988: 585.1 Thousand persons1989: 592.4 Thousand persons1990: 640.2 Thousand persons1991: 619.9 Thousand persons1992: 666.7 Thousand persons1993: 682.1 Thousand persons1994: 740.8 Thousand persons1995: 772 Thousand persons1996: 765.9 Thousand persons1997: 807.1 Thousand persons1998: 792.9 Thousand persons1999: 803.4 Thousand persons2000: 807 Thousand persons2001: 866.5 Thousand persons2002: 902.8 Thousand persons2003: 880 Thousand persons2004: 931.4 Thousand persons2005: 1.0k Thousand persons2006: 1.0k Thousand persons2007: 1.1k Thousand persons2008: 1.1k Thousand persons2009: 1.2k Thousand persons2010: 1.2k Thousand persons2011: 1.2k Thousand persons2012: 1.2k Thousand persons2013: 1.3k Thousand persons2014: 1.3k Thousand persons2015: 1.3k Thousand persons2016: 1.4k Thousand persons2017: 1.4k Thousand persons2018: 1.4k Thousand persons2019: 1.4k Thousand persons2020: 1.5k Thousand persons2021: 1.4k Thousand persons2022: 1.5k Thousand persons2023: 1.6k Thousand persons2024: 1.6k Thousand persons2025: 1.5k Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 1,518 Thousand persons for self-employed persons by occupation in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands peaked at 1,590 Thousand persons in 2024 and was at its lowest, 463.9 Thousand persons, in 1985.

Netherlands ranks 8th of 36 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 538.78 Thousand persons 463.9 Thousand persons 592.4 Thousand persons 5
1990s 729.1 Thousand persons 619.9 Thousand persons 807.1 Thousand persons 10
2000s 987.83 Thousand persons 807 Thousand persons 1,187 Thousand persons 10
2010s 1,318 Thousand persons 1,193 Thousand persons 1,444 Thousand persons 10
2020s 1,513 Thousand persons 1,412 Thousand persons 1,590 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 5 Germany 3,393 Thousand persons compare
  2. 6 Spain 3,195 Thousand persons compare
  3. 7 Poland 3,120 Thousand persons compare
  4. 9 Greece 1,088 Thousand persons compare
  5. 10 Romania 834.2 Thousand persons compare
  6. 11 Czechia 806.7 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands?
Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands was 1,518 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 1,590 Thousand persons in 2024.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 463.9 Thousand persons in 1985.
How does Netherlands rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
Netherlands ranks 8th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by occupation rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Netherlands data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Self-employed persons by occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by occupation
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,169 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed