KVK Trend Report Q1 2025: Highest number of stopping businesses in 10 years

Stoppers

The number of stoppers in the last quarter was 60,964. In the same quarter last year, this figure was 44,590. This represents an increase of 37%. The increase in the number of people ceasing business activities is strongest in the agriculture and horticulture (90%), health (72%), and construction (50%) sectors, but exceptionally, the increase in the number of people ceasing business activities is occurring in all sectors. Almost three-quarters (73%) of those ceasing business activities are zzp'ers (self-employed professionals without staff), but SMEs with employees also deregistered. The number of bankruptcies fell to 892 in Q1 2025 compared to 1,003 in Q1 2024, a decrease for the first time in two and a half years,.

"Entrepreneurs from various sectors are facing high energy costs, uncertainty about (new) regulations and persistent staffing shortages, among other things. This may partly explain the large increase in the number of stoppers, in addition to the number of self-employed people who are retiring or switching to salaried employment. When entrepreneurs stop while their business is fundamentally healthy, but are no longer able to do so due to external circumstances, this is a negative development," says Josette Dijkhuizen, entrepreneur and professor at Tilburg University.

Questions about stopping

Business advisers at KVK have noticed that there are many questions surrounding business closure. ‘Stopping is part of entrepreneurship. That does not mean it is easy. It is a difficult decision and a complex process, and many entrepreneurs are unsure about what to do and when,’ says Gé Gijsen, KVK business adviser.

‘The questions we get from entrepreneurs who want to stop range from administrative and tax matters to what to do with staff and what the options are with current (rental) contracts. Many entrepreneurs also think that deregistering with KVK is the only thing to do and start with that, but then you immediately lose access to a bank account, for example. So the order in which you do things is very important.’

Starters

The number of starters in the first quarter of 2025 was 60,448. This is the sharpest decline in the last 10 years, at 17%. It is striking that the number of starters opting for the legal structure of a BV (private limited company) has increased by 25%. This may be related to the enforcement of false self-employment and the upcoming compulsory disability insurance for self-employed persons.

"The number of starters is falling most sharply in the health, agriculture and horticulture, and logistics sectors. For the health and logistics sectors, this can be partly explained by the unrest that has arisen over the hiring of zzp'ers. In the agriculture and horticulture sector, we are seeing a particularly large decline in starters in the provision of services (for arable and/or horticulture and for breeding and keeping animals). The general consensus is that this sector faces an uncertain future with a sharp decline in livestock numbers expected, which is not attractive to starters," says Josette Dijkhuizen.

View the entire KVK Trendrapport Q1 2025 and previous reports.

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