KVK ZZP monitor: number of self-employed stable again in May

The number of self-employed professionals, zzp’ers, remained almost the same again in May 2025. On 31 March, 1,775,964 zzp’ers were registered in the Business Register, 3,300 more than a month earlier. A small uptick of 0.2%. This is according to the KVK ZZP-Monitor for May 2025.

The total number of quitters rose by 2,000 compared to May 2024, an increase of 27%.

The number of starters fell by 2,600 (-16%) compared to a year ago. We also saw these trends in previous months.  

Only the sectors Healthcare and Agriculture and Horticulture show a slight decline in the number of zzp'ers (-450 and -76 respectively). All other sectors show a slight increase. 

The ZZP monitor is only available in Dutch.

This is what you get from the KVK ZZP monitor

1. Numbers of self-employed people

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 self-employed professionals 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 self-employed persons was 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.

More information

More up-to-date figures and trends and reliable insights on Dutch business can be found at KVK Figures and Trends.