Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 16.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 16.8% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands peaked at 16.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1992.
That places Netherlands 138th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.3% | — |
| 1992 | 10.2% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 10.6% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 11.5% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 11.1% | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 11.2% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 10.5% | -6.5% |
| 1999 | 10.3% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | +14.6% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 13.7% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 13.6% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 13.7% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 14.6% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 14.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 15.9% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 16.8% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 16.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.8% | 10.2% | 11.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.8% | 10.2% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 13.4% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 15.8% | 16.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 135 New Caledonia 17.1% compare
- 136 Bahamas 17.1% compare
- 137 Switzerland 16.9% compare
- 139 North Macedonia 16.6% compare
- 140 Australia 16.1% compare
- 141 Czechia 15.7% compare
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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 67.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Netherlands was 16.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1992.
- How does Netherlands rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Netherlands ranks 138th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.