Self-employed persons; income, wealth, characteristics
| Type of self-employment | Branches (SIC2008) | Person characteristics | Sex | Periods | Self-employed, main income Self-employed persons (x 1 000) | Self-employed, main income Self-employed income Median self-employed income (1 000 euro) | Self-employed, main income Self-employed income Median equivalised income (1 000 euro) | Self-employed, main income Self-employed wealth Median wealth (1 000 euro) | Self-employed, all incomes Self-employed persons (x 1 000) | Self-employed, all incomes Self-employed income Median self-employed income (1 000 euro) | Self-employed, all incomes Self-employed income Median equivalised income (1 000 euro) | Self-employed, all incomes Self-employed wealth Median wealth (1 000 euro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 1,433.1 | 43.3 | 44.2 | 336.3 | 2,247.5 | 20.6 | 43.5 | 306.7 |
| Solo self-employed | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 1,122.4 | 38.9 | 42.5 | 298.2 | 1,901.4 | 15.7 | 42.4 | 280.3 |
| Self-employed with employees | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 290.3 | 61.0 | 51.5 | 511.3 | 310.3 | 58.3 | 51.3 | 507.7 |
| Contributing family worker | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 20.4 | 6.0 | 39.5 | 360.1 | 35.7 | 0.0 | 44.1 | 360.3 |
| Self-employed entrepreneur | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 1,062.9 | 40.2 | 43.4 | 274.0 | 1,366.9 | 30.4 | 43.4 | 269.4 |
| Owner-manager | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 264.7 | 66.4 | 51.2 | 875.2 | 302.0 | 60.9 | 51.5 | 878.4 |
| Other self-employed | A-U All economic activities | Total persons | Total male and female | 2023* | 85.1 | 9.6 | 32.9 | 238.3 | 542.8 | 1.0 | 39.9 | 243.8 |
| Source: CBS. | ||||||||||||
Table explanation
This table contains statistics regarding income and capital of self-employed persons in the Netherlands. A distinction is made between, on the one hand, persons for whom self-employment provides for the main source of income, and on the other hand all persons with income from self-employed work. The figures in this table are broken down by type of self-employed person, sector, gender, age, migration background, position in the household, and by income and wealth decile groups.
All statistics in this table are at the individual level, this includes capital; (corporate) assets are summed per household and then assigned to all household members, thus serving as a measure of personal prosperity. The sample date for both population and capital is the first of January of the reporting year. For the older years 2007 up to and including 2010, capital is sampled on the first of January of the year following the reporting year.
The General Business Register (ABR) is used to determine the sector (SBI) of self-employed persons. The ABR has been subject to various trend breaks in the period 2007-2011. This leads to a sharp decrease in the number of self-employed persons in the financial services (sector K) in 2010. Therefore caution is advised when consulting sector trends or comparing numbers across sectors.
Data available from: 2007.
Status of the figures:
The figures for 2006 to 2022 are final. The figures for 2023 are preliminary.
Changes as of November 1 2024:
Figures for 2022 have been finalized. Figures for 2023 have been added.
Changes as of March 2022:
Figures on the wealth of the self-employed in 2010 were incorrect, and have been removed. For this year the wealth of 2011 applies, as 2011 marks a shift in sample date from December 31 to January 1. Missing wealth figures for 2013 have been supplemented.
Changes as of July 2021:
Revised data for 2006 to 2019 have been added. Due to the availability of new sources and improvements in the methodology, wealth figures have changed. Additionally everyone with personnel is now classified as self-employed with employee (formerly this distinction was based solely on the enterprise constituting the main source of income).
When will new figures be published?
New figures for 2024 will be published in December 2025.
Description topics
- Self-employed, main income
- Persons for whom self-employment provides for the main source of income.
- Self-employed persons
- Persons for whom self-employment provides for the main source of income.
- Self-employed income
- The income as a self-employed person comprises income from a self-owned company or practice, directorial wage, and other self-employed income (e.g. as a freelancer).
- Median self-employed income
- The income as a self-employed person comprises income from a self-owned company or practice, directorial wage, and other self-employed income (e.g. as a freelancer).
- Median equivalised income
- The disposable income is defined as the gross income minus current transfers paid (like alimony payments to an ex-partner), income insurance premiums, health insurance premiums and tax on income and wealth. Gross income is the sum of income from labour, income from self-employment, income from property, payments from the government and other receipts (like alimony payments by an ex-partner).
The equivalised income is the disposable income corrected for differences in household size and composition. The correction factor used reflects the advantages of scale of households with two or more members. The single person household is used as the reference household. The equivalised income is a measure of the prosperity of (members of) a household.
- Self-employed wealth
- The capital of the household to which the self-employed person belongs, assigned to all household members as a measure of wealth.
- Median wealth
- Balance of assets and liabilities of a household, allocated to the people in that household as an indicator of personal wealth.
- Self-employed, all incomes
- All persons with income from self-employed labour.
- Self-employed persons
- Persons for whom self-employment provides for the main source of income.
- Self-employed income
- The income as a self-employed person comprises income from a self-owned company or practice, directorial wage, and other self-employed income (e.g. as a freelancer).
- Median self-employed income
- The income as a self-employed person comprises income from a self-owned company or practice, directorial wage, and other self-employed income (e.g. as a freelancer).
- Median equivalised income
- The disposable income is defined as the gross income minus current transfers paid (like alimony payments to an ex-partner), income insurance premiums, health insurance premiums and tax on income and wealth. Gross income is the sum of income from labour, income from self-employment, income from property, payments from the government and other receipts (like alimony payments by an ex-partner).
The equivalised income is the disposable income corrected for differences in household size and composition. The correction factor used reflects the advantages of scale of households with two or more members. The single person household is used as the reference household. The equivalised income is a measure of the prosperity of (members of) a household.
- Self-employed wealth
- The capital of the household to which the self-employed person belongs, assigned to all household members as a measure of wealth.
- Median wealth
- Balance of assets and liabilities of a household, allocated to the people in that household as an indicator of personal wealth.