KVK ZZP monitor: slight decrease in number of zzp'ers in December

  • 13 January 2025
  • Edited 10 January 2026
  • 1 min

The number of self-employed professionals in the Netherlands is constantly changing. With the monthly KVK ZZP monitor, you can closely follow the development of self-employed people in the Netherlands.

In December 2025, more zzp'ers (self-employed professionals without staff) started their businesses and fewer ceased operations. This is evident from the KVK ZZP Monitor.

This development deviates from the trend observed in recent months. The number of new entrants increased by approximately 800 (about 5%) compared to a year ago.

The number of people ceasing their activities decreased slightly (by 0.6%).

The total number of zzp'ers fell slightly in December (-0.5%). On 31 December, 1,788,320 zzp'ers were registered in the Business Register, approximately 8,500 fewer than a month earlier.

Measured in absolute numbers, the number of zzp'ers decreased mainly in the construction and health and welfare sectors. In both sectors, the decrease was approximately 2,000.

False self-employment checks

As of 2025, the Netherlands Tax Administration actively checks for false self-employment, where a zzp'er is in effect an employee for whom the employer does not pay employee contributions. The extra checks may have an effect on the number of zzp'ers registered in the Business Register.

About the file

The monthly KVK ZZP Monitor is a pdf file. It is only available in Dutch and appears on the first day of the next month. 

Download the KVK ZZP monitor
  • PDF document
  • 1 pagina
  • 294,55 KB
  • 08-01-2026

This is what you get from the KVK ZZP monitor

1. Numbers of zzp'ers

Every month, you can find the total number of self-employed professionals, the total number of starters, and the total number of quitters. You can immediately see whether the number is higher or lower than in the same month a year earlier.

2. Self-employed trends over several years

The monitor also shows the development of zzp'ers over the past few years in a single graph. At a glance, you can see the development compared to the same month a year earlier.

3. Sectors with the sharpest decline

The monitor shows the 5 sectors where the decrease in the number of zzp'ers as the strongest. An Excel file is available with detailed figures on the 100 sectors with the most self-employed professionals.

4. Notable data

What else stands out? You can read about the most important developments of the past month in the KVK ZZP monitor.

Previous editions of the KVK ZZP Monitor (in Dutch)

More information

More figures and trends and reliable insights on Dutch business can be found at KVK Figures and Trends.Â