Number of freelancers in Netherlands increased 85% in ten years

The number of self-employed people without employees (freelancers) has increased by 85 percent over the past ten years. While there were approximately 875,000 self-employed people in 2014, there are 1.6 million in 2024, reports the Chamber of Commerce (KvK). The number of female freelancers grew, in particular, by 101 percent. The increase was 77 percent among men, who comprise 61 percent of the total.

The strongest growth occurred in the youngest age groups, from 0 to 24 years, and among the over-65s, with the largest increase among the over-70s. Most freelancers work in business services (440,000), followed by construction with 218,000 and healthcare with around 203,000.

The number of female freelancers rose most strongly in healthcare, from just under 65,000 in 2014 to over 150,000 in 2024. In business services, their share increased by over 83,000. “We often think that female self-employed people only work in personal services and the healthcare and welfare sectors, but most still work in business services. For example, as an independent lawyer or communications advisor,” said entrepreneur and professor by special appointment (Tilburg University) Josette Dijkhuizen.

The KvK suspects that the increase in the number of young entrepreneurs “is probably related to a lot of attention for self-employment within education, the digital skills of this generation, low barriers to many digital activities like vlogging and blogging, and example icons on social media.” They mainly work in retail, catering, and, to a lesser extent, in logistics. The latter includes courier services.

The growth among older people is mainly in financial services and, to a slightly lesser extent, in wholesale. The KvK assumes that people over 65 are forced to continue working because of insufficient pension and/or because they want to remain active.