Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Economie, Bedrijven en Nationale rekeningen - Economic and Business statistics and National accounts.
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Postbus 4481
6401 CZ Heerlen
The Netherlands
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
17 December 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
17 December 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
17 December 2025
3.1. Data description
The annual Business demography data collection covers variables which explain the characteristics and demography of the business population. The methodology allows for the production of data on enterprise births (and deaths), that is, enterprise creations (cessations) that amount to the creation (dissolution) of a combination of production factors and where no other enterprises are involved (enterprises created or closed solely as a result of e.g. restructuring, merger or break-up are not considered).
A summary of the available indicators is listed below. The data is available at country and regional level, with breakdowns for type of activity, legal form and size class.
For the population of active enterprises:
Number of active enterprises
Number of enterprise births
Number of enterprise survivals up to five years
Number of enterprise deaths
Related variables on employment: 'employees' and 'persons employed' (employees and self-employed persons)
For the population of active employer enterprises:
Number of enterprises having at least one employee
Number of enterprises having the first employee
Number of enterprises having no employees anymore
Number of enterprise survivals up to five years
Related variables on employment: 'employees' and 'persons employed' (employees and self-employed persons)
For high-growth enterprises, the following indicators are available at the country and regional level:
Number of high-growth enterprises (growth by 10% or more)
Number of employees of high-growth enterprises
Number of young high-growth enterprises (up to five years old high-growth enterprises)
Number of employees of young high-growth enterprise
3.2. Classification system
From 2008 onwards NACE Rev.2 classification (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community) is used for all indicators.
Starting with reference year 2021, BD data cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96. The total economy is presented as Industry, construction and services (code BTSXO_S94).
For the reference years 2008-2020, data for the Sections P, Q, R and S were provided on a voluntary basis and K64.2 was not covered.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
BD constitutes an important and integrated part of the EU Regulation 2019/2152 on European Business Statistics (EBS Regulation).
3.5. Statistical unit
Statistics Netherlands uses the enterprise as statistical unit
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population consist of all NACE-codes within the total economy (BTSXO_S94). All enterprise size classes are included.
Non-market enterprises are excluded.
3.7. Reference area
The Caribbean part of the Netherlands (Caribisch Nederland) is excluded
3.8. Coverage - Time
Length of time-series
Enterprise population: 2007-2023
Enterprise births: 2004-2023
Enterprise deaths: 2007-2023
Enterprise survivors: 2008-2023 (except for the 5-year survivors, data for 2008 is missing due to the fact that 2003 birth data is not required)
High growth enterprises (10%): 2010-2023
Employer population: 2007-2023
Employer births: 2007-2023
Employer deaths: 2007-2023
Employer survivors (1-year): 2008-2023
Employer survivors (2-year): 2009-2023
Employer survivors (3-year): 2010-2023
Employer survivors (4-year): 2011-2023
Employer survivors (5-year): 2012-2023
Methodological changes
2021: non-market oriented enterprises are excluded from the population. Effect mainly limited to NACE R.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The number of active, birth, death and survival enterprises, as well as high-growth enterprises is expressed in units.
The number of employees is counted as head counts and is expressed in units.
The number of persons employed is the sum of number of employees and self-employed persons.
The number of self-employed persons is the average number of persons who were at some time during the reference period the sole owners or joint owners of the statistical unit in which they work, measured in annual average headcounts, expressed in units.
Derived indicators are expressed in units or percentages.
2023
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Starting with reference year 2021, two new regulations form the legal basis of BD statistics:
Before reference year 2021, EU Regulation 2008/295 on structural business statistics, Annex IX, was providing a legal basis for the BD data collection. The Commission implementing EU Regulation 2014/439 ensured data collection on employer enterprises (with at least one employee), high-growth enterprises (more than 10% annual growth over three years) and their employment.
Up to reference year 2006 data have been collected under gentlemen's agreement within the context of the development of Structural Business Statistics.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
In the Dutch Act on Economic Statistics dating from 1936 a paragraph on safety of data on individual enterprises was incorporated. It literally states: 'Data collected under this Act shall not be disclosed in such form, that any statements and information about a single person, company or institution can be derived, unless that person, the head of the company or the board of adjustment here has no objection.'
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Restricted from publication
7.2.1. Confidentiality rules (primary and secondary)
Restricted from publication
7.2.2. Measures taken to reduce the number of confidential cells
Remarks
Measures taken to reduce the number of confidential cells
no
no remarks
If measures have been taken, describe them briefly
not applicable
no remarks
Impact of these measures
not applicable
no remarks
8.1. Release calendar
Data are disseminated nationally but without a predefined release calendar. In the metadata for each table, information is provided when the next update is scheduled (without an exact date).
Data published at Statistics Netherlands website is exactly the same as sent to Eurostat.
8.2. Release calendar access
Release data information for each table can be found in the metadata sheet (press on I for further information).
8.3. Release policy - user access
All data Statistics Netherlands provides to 1 single user is made publicly available for all possible users.
Relevance: BD output is among the highest visited Statline tables
Accuracy: BD is based on integral administrative data
Timeliness: BD is sent to Eurostat within the deadlines
Coherence: BD data is intra-coherent and coherent with SBS.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users of Business Demography data are Ministeries. The Ministerie of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) finances a project that focusses on small and medium sized enteprises, business demography data form a large part of this dataset. The data are published on MKB-Statline.
Tables in Statline concerning Business Demography are among those with the highest number of visitors. In contrast to output for Eurostat these data are published quarterly.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User needs are not collected systematically. In general, Business Demography output is limited to the requirements in the relevant EU-regulations.
There are no gaps in the completeness of the data, for all years BD all required NACE's are covered. All size-classes and variables are covered.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Starting with reference year 2021, BD data cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96. The total economy is presented as Industry, construction and services (code BTSXO_S94).
For the reference years 2008-2020, data for the Sections P, Q, R and S were provided on a voluntary basis and K64.2 was not covered.
In Statline, data is available from 2007, on a quarterly basis, for the total economy and a full NACE-breakdown.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Not requested.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not requested.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not requested.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not requested.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not requested.
14.1. Timeliness
BD is delivered to Eurostat within the defined deadlines.
Statistics Netherlands also publishes Business Demography on a quarterly basis, disseminated within 15 days after the end of each quarter.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not requested.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not requested.
14.2. Punctuality
Data for reference year 2023
delivery vs deadline (days)
Business Demography -2
Employer Business Demography -62
Regional Business Demography -23
High Growth (preliminary) -13
High Growth (final) -62
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not requested.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Not requested.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
First reference year available (calendar year): 2007
Breaks in time series and reasons for the breaks:
2021: exclusion of non-market enterprises, mainly limited to NACE R: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION and parts of P85 Education
Outliers in time series: not applicable
Starting in 2020, (employer) enterprise births and deaths were additionally checked with flows of individual employees between potential births and deaths. This resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of employees and number of persons employed associated with these events. This was most pronounced in employer dynamics particularly indicators 'SAL_SALGE1_DTH' and 'EMPL_SALGE1_DTH'
Enterprise survival.
Some enterprises in some subsections of NACE P85 Education and R ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION are now labeld as 'non-market' and thus excluded from the population. At the time of birth they were not excluded (as at that time Statistics Netherlands did not filter non-market enterprises) and therefore, the survival rate of the births in these sections (and the associated number of employees and persons employed) drops significantly.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
In general, 2007-2021, except NACE R, see 15.1
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
SBS-BD
Full coherence between SBS and BD with respect to number of enterprises, number of persons employed and number of employees.
The common aggregates between SBS and BD were compared: no differences were observed
RBD-BD
Full coherence between RBD and BD with respect to number of enterprises, number of persons employed and number of employees.
The common aggregates between SBS and BD were compared: with the exception of rounding errors no differences were observed
BD-BR
The BD-population is a subset from the BR-population, all characteristics are derived from BR.
The following enterprises are removed from the BR-frame:
1) non-market enterprises
2) administrative renumbering of the enterprise, linking enterprise ID's. Links are identified by the matching steps described in the Eurostat/OECD manual on Business Demography. Double counting of enterprises is prevented.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not requested.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not requested.
Not requested.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics Netherlands revision policy is to revise incorrect data at the earliest possible moment. Methodological changes that result in time-series breaks are back-casted whenever possible.
17.2. Data revision - practice
There were no revisions of 2023 data except for preliminary data on (employer) enterprise deaths for reference year 2022 and the preliminary data on high growth (reference year 2023).
Relative Mean Absolute Revisions are shown in 17.2.1.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
INDICATOR
TIME_PERIOD
RMAR
EMPL_DTH
2022
0,088
EMPL_SALGE1_DTH
2022
0,256
ENT_DTH
2022
0,059
ENT_HGRW
2023
0,082
ENT_SALGE1_DTH
2022
0,102
SAL_DTH
2022
0,385
SAL_HGRW
2023
0,177
SAL_SALGE1_DTH
2022
0,267
18.1. Source data
a) Type of data source:
Business demograhy uses the following sources:
Algemeen BedrijvenRegister (ABR) = General Business Register: source of units
Polisadministratie = Register on Labour and Wages: source for number of employees
b) Coverage of SBR (Statistical Business Register):
SBR covers all NACE and all legal forms. Inclusion criteria for the SBR are :
Turnover > 0 EURO,
employment = 0
registration at the Chamber of Commerce (for sole proprietors only).
There is no VAT-threshold in the Netherlands, although enterprises with less than 20,000 euro turnover can choose to apply for an exemption for VAT-declarations.
c) Matching, profiling or imputation:
Not applicable
18.1.1. Concepts and sources
The BR contains all relevant information:
1) NACE
2) legal form
3) entry and exit dates
4) information on mergers, acquisitions, restructuring
except the average number of employess per year. They are obtained from the Polisadministratie, an integral source of employee data.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Statistics Netherlands Business Register is compiled on a monthly basis. From the monthly frames one annual frame is compiled.
18.3. Data collection
Administrative data is collected by the team that is dedicated to data-collection from administrative sources.
Relevant sources for BD:
1) Chamber of Commerce: data is retrieved on a daily basis via direct access to the database
2) Polisadministratie : data is collected at least once a month. Correction and validation is completed 11 months after end of the reference period.
This teams couples all data from administrative sources to statistical units and makes these data available for statistical user in Statistics Netherlands.
18.3.1. Data matching
a) Data matching process and tools:
The matching steps used in the production process are based on those described in the Eurostat/OECD manual on Business demography (2008).
Matching on location is only performed on the location of the legal unit with the highest share of employees.
Based on the matching steps, in 2023 31898 potential enterprise deaths and 47284 possible enterprise births are excluded.
b) Additional Matching:
Starting in 2020 additional matching is performed based on flow of employees between enterprises.
For all enterprises that exit (or enter in case of births) the population the flow of employees to (or from) other enterprises is monitored. Depending on the intensity of the flow (with respect to the share of employees of the old enterprise that go to a new enterprise) in relation to other characteristics (name, number of common local units, belonging to the same enterprise group). Based upon this information several decision rules are applied to discriminate between real and administrative population dynamics. Manual checks are performed on all large entries/exists and on cases with inconclusive results from the decision rules.
Based on these additional matching steps for refrence year 2023 564 exits (total number of employees 6766) were excluded from the enterprise death population; 602 entries (total number of employees 7941) were excluded from the enterprise birth population
c) In/Out of scope
In / out of scope is the approach of Statistics Netherlands irrelevant. Births and death are determined at the total BR population. in/out of scope does not result in birth or death, however it does affect to size of the total BD-population.
18.3.2. Manual checks
Manual checks were performed on 43 exits (number of employees 5479) and on 52 entries (number of employees 2471)
18.4. Data validation
1. Validation of format and file structure checks
checks on the number of rows and columns (and column names) of the dataset
further checks were mostly performed using the Edamis validation tool (during development of production system)
2. Intra-dataset checks
when in a given cell the number of employees or the number of persons employed is greater than zero, the number of enterprises cannot be zero
the number of persons employed is greater than or equal to the number of employees
the average number of employees per enterprise should be between the upper and lower limit of the size class
Time-series checks by visual inspection, detection of outliers
3. Inter-dataset checks
This includes intra-datasets checks within BD: all enterprises vs employer enterprises, both in numbers and confidentiality consistency
Number of High Growth enterprises smaller than or equal to number of enterprises in size class 10 or more employees (EGE10)
SBD vs BD: confrontation of number of employees and number of persons employed (both numbers and confidentiality)
5. Plausibility or consistency checks between two domains available in the same Institution
Number of employees is confronted with Statline data published from labour force publications
6. Plausibility or consistency checks between the data available in the Institution and the data / information available outside the Institution.
For the total population the numbers are confronted with data from Chambers of Commerce. The ratio between these figures is checked for consistency.
18.5. Data compilation
The number of self-employed persons is estimated for the entire population Business Register population, based upon BR data.
Estimation of preliminary deaths is based on the reactivation rate of the 2 most recent final years.
Computation of annual average of employees in active enterprises is based on Polisadministratie
The headcount of employees is determined for each enterprise at the first day of the each month. The yearly total is then calculated and divided by 12, irrespective of the length of the enterprise's operational period.
The number of self-employed persons is calculated by means of the legal form in the Business Register, sole proprietors have a headcount of 1, partnerships have a headcount of 2.
Limited liability enterprises with no major-shareholder and no employees will have 0 number of persons employed. In 2021 there were approximately 100 000 cases.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not requested.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
The annual Business demography data collection covers variables which explain the characteristics and demography of the business population. The methodology allows for the production of data on enterprise births (and deaths), that is, enterprise creations (cessations) that amount to the creation (dissolution) of a combination of production factors and where no other enterprises are involved (enterprises created or closed solely as a result of e.g. restructuring, merger or break-up are not considered).
A summary of the available indicators is listed below. The data is available at country and regional level, with breakdowns for type of activity, legal form and size class.
For the population of active enterprises:
Number of active enterprises
Number of enterprise births
Number of enterprise survivals up to five years
Number of enterprise deaths
Related variables on employment: 'employees' and 'persons employed' (employees and self-employed persons)
For the population of active employer enterprises:
Number of enterprises having at least one employee
Number of enterprises having the first employee
Number of enterprises having no employees anymore
Number of enterprise survivals up to five years
Related variables on employment: 'employees' and 'persons employed' (employees and self-employed persons)
For high-growth enterprises, the following indicators are available at the country and regional level:
Number of high-growth enterprises (growth by 10% or more)
Number of employees of high-growth enterprises
Number of young high-growth enterprises (up to five years old high-growth enterprises)
Number of employees of young high-growth enterprise
17 December 2025
BD constitutes an important and integrated part of the EU Regulation 2019/2152 on European Business Statistics (EBS Regulation).
Statistics Netherlands uses the enterprise as statistical unit
The statistical population consist of all NACE-codes within the total economy (BTSXO_S94). All enterprise size classes are included.
Non-market enterprises are excluded.
The Caribbean part of the Netherlands (Caribisch Nederland) is excluded
2023
Not requested.
The number of active, birth, death and survival enterprises, as well as high-growth enterprises is expressed in units.
The number of employees is counted as head counts and is expressed in units.
The number of persons employed is the sum of number of employees and self-employed persons.
The number of self-employed persons is the average number of persons who were at some time during the reference period the sole owners or joint owners of the statistical unit in which they work, measured in annual average headcounts, expressed in units.
Derived indicators are expressed in units or percentages.
The number of self-employed persons is estimated for the entire population Business Register population, based upon BR data.
Estimation of preliminary deaths is based on the reactivation rate of the 2 most recent final years.
Computation of annual average of employees in active enterprises is based on Polisadministratie
The headcount of employees is determined for each enterprise at the first day of the each month. The yearly total is then calculated and divided by 12, irrespective of the length of the enterprise's operational period.
The number of self-employed persons is calculated by means of the legal form in the Business Register, sole proprietors have a headcount of 1, partnerships have a headcount of 2.
Limited liability enterprises with no major-shareholder and no employees will have 0 number of persons employed. In 2021 there were approximately 100 000 cases.
a) Type of data source:
Business demograhy uses the following sources:
Algemeen BedrijvenRegister (ABR) = General Business Register: source of units
Polisadministratie = Register on Labour and Wages: source for number of employees
b) Coverage of SBR (Statistical Business Register):
SBR covers all NACE and all legal forms. Inclusion criteria for the SBR are :
Turnover > 0 EURO,
employment = 0
registration at the Chamber of Commerce (for sole proprietors only).
There is no VAT-threshold in the Netherlands, although enterprises with less than 20,000 euro turnover can choose to apply for an exemption for VAT-declarations.
c) Matching, profiling or imputation:
Not applicable
Annual.
BD is delivered to Eurostat within the defined deadlines.
Statistics Netherlands also publishes Business Demography on a quarterly basis, disseminated within 15 days after the end of each quarter.
Not requested.
First reference year available (calendar year): 2007
Breaks in time series and reasons for the breaks:
2021: exclusion of non-market enterprises, mainly limited to NACE R: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION and parts of P85 Education
Outliers in time series: not applicable
Starting in 2020, (employer) enterprise births and deaths were additionally checked with flows of individual employees between potential births and deaths. This resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of employees and number of persons employed associated with these events. This was most pronounced in employer dynamics particularly indicators 'SAL_SALGE1_DTH' and 'EMPL_SALGE1_DTH'
Enterprise survival.
Some enterprises in some subsections of NACE P85 Education and R ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION are now labeld as 'non-market' and thus excluded from the population. At the time of birth they were not excluded (as at that time Statistics Netherlands did not filter non-market enterprises) and therefore, the survival rate of the births in these sections (and the associated number of employees and persons employed) drops significantly.
