There are approximately 1.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands.
Luiz De Barros • Apr 15, 2024

There are approximately 1.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands.

At the beginning of 2024, the Netherlands accounted for over 1.56 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is an increase of almost 69% compared to a decade ago when there were nearly 927,000 SMEs. The most significant growth has been observed in the software development sector. The expansion in the number of SMEs is primarily due to the rise in the number of self-employed individuals, as indicated by recent data from the CBS.


The majority of these SMEs consist of self-employed individuals, totaling over 1.25 million, almost double the number recorded in 2014. The number of micro-enterprises (2 to 10 employees) grew over 13% in the same period, reaching more than 258,000 companies. The smallest fraction of SMEs, the small and medium-sized businesses (10 to 250 employees), counted almost 55,000 companies at the beginning of 2024, an increase of over 15% from ten years earlier.

The Number of Energy Companies More Than Tripled.


The number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the transportation and storage sector has almost doubled over ten years, reaching more than 66,000. This is almost entirely due to an increase in the number of self-employed individuals and micro-enterprises within this sector. For instance, the number of self-employed individuals in the taxi transport and road freight transport sectors (including delivery services) has more than tripled. In the construction industry, the number of self-employed individuals has more than doubled to over 231,000 in the last decade. Within the manufacturing (excluding construction) and energy sectors, the number of energy companies has more than tripled, reaching almost 3,000.


Only in the hospitality sector did the number of small and medium-sized businesses increase more than the number of self-employed individuals and micro-enterprises, particularly among restaurants and other food establishments. In the information and communication sector, the number of small and medium-sized businesses also saw relative growth, especially in IT services. The growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the professional services sector occurred, among other things, due to an increase in architectural and engineering firms and staffing services.

The Number of Private Security Companies and Cable Installers Quintupled.


At a more granular industry level, the number of software companies has grown the most over the past ten years. At the start of 2024, there were 305 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in this field, over six times as many as in 2014. The number of private security services (12,000) has more than quintupled since 2014. The same applies to the number of SMEs in call centers, pipe and cable laying, and the beverage industry (especially breweries). The number of online stores has tripled over the past decade to just over 101,000.


There are also sectors where the number of SMEs has actually decreased. Compared to 2014, the biggest declines were in wired telecommunication (-35%), petrol stations (-28%), and printing (-21%). The number of cafes decreased by 20% during this period to just over 8,000.


Source:https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2024/15/ruim-1-5-miljoen-mkb-bedrijven-in-nederland

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