Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands
Netherlands: Self-employed persons by occupation was 1,518 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands, 1983–2025
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 1,518 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 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 463.9, in 1985.
Netherlands ranks 10th of 47 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 467.4 | — |
| 1985 | 463.9 | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 585.1 | +26.1% |
| 1988 | 585.1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 592.4 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 640.2 | +8.1% |
| 1991 | 619.9 | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 666.7 | +7.5% |
| 1993 | 682.1 | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 740.8 | +8.6% |
| 1995 | 772 | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 765.9 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 807.1 | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 792.9 | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 803.4 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 807 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 866.5 | +7.4% |
| 2002 | 902.8 | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 880 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 931.4 | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 1,015 | +9.0% |
| 2006 | 1,047 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1,094 | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 1,148 | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 1,187 | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 1,193 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,197 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1,227 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1,277 | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 1,313 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 1,338 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1,366 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 1,396 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 1,423 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 1,444 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 1,496 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 1,412 | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 1,507 | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 1,557 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 1,590 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 1,518 | -4.5% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 1,518 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 425.95, 3.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 1,518 is above the median for high income countries, which is 478.5, 3.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +26.1% | 463.9 | 585.1 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 538.78 | 463.9 | 592.4 | 5 |
| 1990s | 729.1 | 619.9 | 807.1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 987.83 | 807 | 1,187 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,318 | 1,193 | 1,444 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,513 | 1,412 | 1,590 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands?
- Self-employed persons by occupation in Netherlands was 1,518 in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 1,590 in 2024.
- What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 463.9 in 1985.
- How does Netherlands rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
- Netherlands ranks 10th out of 47 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).