How many companies in the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is home to a total of 2.0 million companies (Q3 2021). The largest numbers of companies are active in specialised business services (387 thousand), trade (264 thousand) and construction (215 thousand).
The vast majority of companies employ fewer than five people (93 percent). In the specialised business services and construction sectors, the percentage of small companies is even slightly higher. The share of companies with five or more employed persons is larger in manufacturing (18 percent) and accommodation and food services (16 percent). There are nearly 8 thousand companies in the Netherlands with 100 or more employees. These companies are most often active in manufacturing (1.3 thousand) and trade (1.2 thousand).
Bedrijfstak | Number of enterprises |
---|---|
Specialised business services | 386.6 |
Trade | 264.3 |
Construction | 214.5 |
Healthcare and welfare | 186.9 |
Culture, sports and recreation | 119.5 |
Other services | 115.9 |
Education | 109.4 |
Information and communication | 104.9 |
Financial services | 103.6 |
Renting and other business activities | 89.3 |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 77.0 |
Manufacturing | 73.8 |
Accommodation and food services | 66.0 |
Transportation and storage | 53.6 |
Real estate activities | 30.3 |
Other | 5.4 |
Enterprise population growing each year
The number of companies has been increasing every year. In Q3 2007, there were 1.0 million companies in the Netherlands. The majority are classified under the legal form natural persons.noot1 Under this form, one or more persons are severally liable for the company’s obligations and expenses. A company can also be set up as a legal personnoot2, which means the company itself is regarded as a person in legal terms.
The increase in the number of companies was highest among sole proprietorships. In Q3 2021, two-thirds of all companies were sole proprietorships, versus slightly more than 50 percent in the same quarter in 2007. In this period, the number of sole proprietorships more than doubled from 569 thousand to over 1.3 million. The number of private limited liability companies, the most common form among legal persons, rose from 151 thousand to almost 405 thousand.
Jaar | Sole proprietorships | Other natural persons | Private limited companies (BVs) | Other legal persons |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 569.2 | 176.5 | 253.2 | 41.5 |
2008 | 624.2 | 174.6 | 274.5 | 39.7 |
2009 | 683.2 | 176.4 | 289.6 | 40.4 |
2010 | 725.0 | 189.4 | 293.9 | 42.2 |
2011 | 779.4 | 187.4 | 298.0 | 42.3 |
2012 | 813.9 | 192.3 | 308.6 | 43.9 |
2013 | 842.3 | 193.8 | 312.7 | 43.7 |
2014 | 883.3 | 192.1 | 318.4 | 43.5 |
2015 | 936.7 | 196.6 | 329.0 | 44.1 |
2016 | 993.4 | 199.6 | 338.3 | 44.3 |
2017 | 1035.9 | 200.7 | 347.9 | 45.5 |
2018 | 1097.1 | 203.0 | 357.9 | 45.4 |
2019 | 1170.3 | 205.0 | 365.3 | 51.6 |
2020 | 1257.3 | 208.9 | 379.5 | 50.7 |
2021 | 1329.0 | 214.3 | 404.5 | 53.4 |
The questions
- How are figures calculated by CBS?
- How many dwellings in the Netherlands?
- How fast is the Dutch population growing?
- How tall are Dutch people?
- How many farm animals are there in the Netherlands?
- Which jobs often cause a poor work-life balance?
- How many diamond wedding couples are there?
- How much energy is from renewable sources?
- How many people fall victim to domestic violence?
- How many people use the Internet of Things?
- What are the major religions?
- What are the most popular majors?
- What do people die of on an average day?
- How much water do we consume?
- What do we buy online?
- How are the various animal species doing?
- How many under-23s receive youth assistance?
- Which flower bulbs are most common?
- How many companies in the Netherlands?
- Where do Caribbean Dutch children live?
- How do we use our land?
- How many electric cars are driving around?
- Which jobs have the highest levels of mental fatigue?
- How much nitrogen is emitted at livestock farms?
- How many workers belong to a trade union?
- How much have food prices gone up?
- Where were people in the Caribbean Netherlands originally born?
- How many families are at risk of poverty?
- How sustainable is our behaviour?
- What do we import from China?
- How many girls become teenage mothers?
- Has our purchasing power gone up or down?
- How many adults smoke?
- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many tourists stay overnight in the Netherlands?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?
Noten
Natural persons
A human being (individual) who is recognised as a legal subject and therefore as having legal rights and obligations.
This legal form comprises:
- Sole proprietorships
- Limited liability partnerships
- General partnerships
- Limited partnerships
- Shipping companies
- Cooperation agreements
Legal persons
A legal arrangement through which an organisation is recognised as a legal subject with legal rights and obligations similar to a natural person.
A legal person may act as a natural person in legal proceedings, i.e. have possessions and debts, enter into contracts, initiate legal proceedings or be brought before a court.
This legal form comprises:
- Private limited liability companies
- Public companies
- Associations
- Foundations
- Cooperative societies
- Mutual insurance companies
- Government bodies (central government, provincial government, municipality)
- Legal forms of foreign enterprises
- European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)
- Special-purpose assets
- Collective investment funds (FGR)
- Churches
- Foreign legal forms