In 2025, Invest in Holland, the government network that helps foreign companies set up in the Netherlands, supported 180 investment projects by foreign companies. Research and development was the main activity in 53 of them (30%) (Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), 12 February 2026). Those figures cover new projects, while the count by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) in the table covers every company with an owner abroad.
Foreign-owned companies per country
Statistics Netherlands treats a company as foreign-owned when its ultimate owner is based in another country. The table gives the number of companies per country in 2024, 2023 and 2021, the growth since 2021, and the people employed and the turnover in 2024. Click a column to sort it. Countries with fewer than 15 companies appear only in the totals. Countries with the same number of companies share a rank, so Ireland and Turkey are both 15th and India is 17th. Chile and Guernsey are new in the table, with 15 companies each. Jersey and Morocco left the table, with 10 each.
| # | Country of ownership | Companies 2024 | Companies 2023 | Companies 2021 | Growth since 2021 | People employed 2024 | Turnover 2024 (€ million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,775 | 3,685 | 3,410 | +10.7% | 306,000 | 302,294 |
| 2 | Germany | 2,575 | 2,550 | 2,515 | +2.4% | 189,000 | 120,649 |
| 3 | Belgium | 2,430 | 2,175 | 1,915 | +26.9% | 90,000 | 27,855 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2,355 | 2,220 | 1,920 | +22.7% | 126,000 | 181,461 |
| 5 | France | 1,175 | 1,120 | 1,035 | +13.5% | 202,000 | 81,678 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 685 | 695 | 610 | +12.3% | 53,000 | 53,022 |
| 7 | Japan | 680 | 655 | 685 | -0.7% | 82,000 | 55,089 |
| 8 | Sweden | 655 | 615 | 530 | +23.6% | 56,000 | 30,810 |
| 9 | China | 580 | 535 | 470 | +23.4% | 14,000 | 15,324 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 385 | 400 | 270 | +42.6% | 15,000 | 6,432 |
| 11 | Italy | 370 | 350 | 340 | +8.8% | 15,000 | 8,105 |
| 12 | Denmark | 360 | 355 | 355 | +1.4% | 24,000 | 12,935 |
| 13 | Canada | 290 | 265 | 250 | +16.0% | 18,000 | 8,148 |
| 14 | Spain | 280 | 240 | 230 | +21.7% | 13,000 | 8,682 |
| 15 | Ireland | 265 | 275 | 250 | +6.0% | 20,000 | 10,273 |
| 15 | Turkey | 265 | 240 | 175 | +51.4% | 5,000 | 2,669 |
| 17 | India | 255 | 230 | 205 | +24.4% | 21,000 | 10,699 |
| 18 | Norway | 245 | 235 | 200 | +22.5% | 11,000 | 5,030 |
| 19 | Austria | 180 | 180 | 170 | +5.9% | 10,000 | 7,226 |
| 19 | Singapore | 180 | 170 | 145 | +24.1% | 7,000 | 4,805 |
| 21 | Israel | 165 | 165 | 165 | 0.0% | 6,000 | 3,827 |
| 22 | Finland | 150 | 150 | 135 | +11.1% | 7,000 | 6,074 |
| 22 | Taiwan | 150 | 145 | 140 | +7.1% | 3,000 | 3,084 |
| 24 | Australia | 130 | 125 | 120 | +8.3% | 7,000 | 2,167 |
| 25 | South Korea | 110 | 105 | 90 | +22.2% | 3,000 | 7,061 |
| 26 | South Africa | 100 | 90 | 80 | +25.0% | 4,000 | 2,337 |
| 27 | Cyprus | 95 | 75 | 50 | +90.0% | 2,000 | 707 |
| 28 | Hong Kong | 90 | 110 | 120 | -25.0% | 24,000 | 5,866 |
| 29 | United Arab Emirates | 85 | 65 | 60 | +41.7% | 3,000 | 1,402 |
| 30 | Poland | 75 | 70 | 55 | +36.4% | 1,000 | 384 |
| 31 | Czechia | 50 | 50 | 40 | +25.0% | 1,000 | n/a |
| 31 | Portugal | 50 | 50 | 45 | +11.1% | 1,000 | 350 |
| 33 | Brazil | 45 | 45 | 40 | +12.5% | 1,000 | n/a |
| 33 | Malaysia | 45 | 40 | 45 | 0.0% | 1,000 | 847 |
| 35 | Hungary | 40 | 35 | 30 | +33.3% | 1,000 | 304 |
| 35 | Lithuania | 40 | 35 | 25 | +60.0% | 1,000 | 146 |
| 37 | Bulgaria | 30 | 25 | 15 | +100.0% | 0 | 9 |
| 37 | Mexico | 30 | 35 | 30 | 0.0% | 1,000 | 1,098 |
| 37 | New Zealand | 30 | 30 | 25 | +20.0% | n/a | n/a |
| 37 | Romania | 30 | 25 | 10 | +200.0% | 0 | 35 |
| 41 | Estonia | 25 | 20 | 20 | +25.0% | 0 | 79 |
| 41 | Iceland | 25 | 30 | 20 | +25.0% | 3,000 | 1,124 |
| 41 | Malta | 25 | 30 | 20 | +25.0% | 0 | 31 |
| 41 | Russia | 25 | 45 | 60 | -58.3% | 0 | n/a |
| 41 | Thailand | 25 | 20 | 20 | +25.0% | n/a | 922 |
| 46 | Greece | 20 | 15 | 15 | +33.3% | 0 | 29 |
| 46 | Liechtenstein | 20 | 15 | 15 | +33.3% | 2,000 | 621 |
| 46 | Slovakia | 20 | 15 | 15 | +33.3% | n/a | n/a |
| 49 | Chile | 15 | 10 | 10 | +50.0% | 0 | n/a |
| 49 | Guernsey | 15 | 10 | 10 | +50.0% | n/a | n/a |
| 49 | Saudi Arabia | 15 | 15 | 15 | 0.0% | 3,000 | 12,138 |
In total, CBS counted 19,995 foreign-owned companies in 2024, 19,115 in 2023 and 17,510 in 2021. In 2024, 9,335 of them were owned from EU countries and 10,655 from outside the EU. Owners in offshore financial centres controlled 375 companies in 2024, 370 in 2023 and 405 in 2021. The table shows n/a where CBS shows a dot, which means the figure is unknown, too uncertain or confidential. CBS gives people employed in thousands, so 0 means fewer than 500 people. You can download the data as a structured data file (JSON) or as a spreadsheet file (CSV).
What the table shows
The fastest growers since 2021 (countries with at least 100 companies in 2024)
| Country | Companies 2021 | Companies 2024 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 175 | 265 | +51.4% |
| Luxembourg | 270 | 385 | +42.6% |
| Belgium | 1,915 | 2,430 | +26.9% |
| South Africa | 80 | 100 | +25.0% |
| India | 205 | 255 | +24.4% |
| Singapore | 145 | 180 | +24.1% |
| Sweden | 530 | 655 | +23.6% |
| China | 470 | 580 | +23.4% |
Turkish owners grew fastest, from 175 to 265 companies in the Netherlands in three years. Luxembourg comes second with +42.6%, and much of that ownership consists of holding companies, such as investment funds and family holdings that own Dutch operating companies. Belgium, South Africa, India, Singapore, Sweden and China each grew by more than 23%, against an average of 14.2%.
Japanese ownership declined from 685 to 680 companies, and the number of people they employ fell from 88,000 to 82,000. Hong Kong went from 120 to 90, and Russia from 60 to 25. In all, three countries in the table have fewer companies than in 2021, while Israel, Malaysia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia have the same number as in 2021. Among the smaller owner countries, Jersey went from 35 companies to 10. The number of companies owned from offshore financial centres fell from 405 to 375.
EU owners and owners from outside the EU
Of the 19,995 foreign-owned companies, 9,335 are owned from another EU country and 10,655 from outside the EU. Both groups grew at a similar pace since 2021, by 14.8% and 13.7% respectively, although for different reasons. An owner from outside the EU needs a company inside the EU to sell, import and hire staff, and many of these owners choose the Netherlands for its language, its logistics and its wide network of tax treaties with other countries. You can read more on setting up a subsidiary in Europe and the best EU country for a founder from outside the EU. Owners inside the EU can already trade across the border, so they tend to choose the Netherlands for its rules on holding companies, its banks and its international workforce, as our guide to a company in the Netherlands for an EU founder explains.
New companies counted by the Chamber of Commerce
While CBS counts the companies that exist, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) records the ones that start. In the second quarter of 2026 the number of starters rose 4.8% compared with a year earlier, the number of companies that stopped fell 9.2% and bankruptcies fell 12.8% (813 against 932). On 30 June 2026 the trade register listed 2.6 million establishments, 79% of them self-employed people. Noord-Holland, the province of Amsterdam, Haarlem and Hoofddorp, has the highest density of starters (43 per 10,000 inhabitants) and 23% of all starters in the country, while Zuid-Holland, with Rotterdam and The Hague, has 24%. These figures come from the quarterly report of the Chamber of Commerce for the second quarter (Q2), the KVK Trendrapport Q2 2026, published on 23 July 2026.
What founders ask us
Our team sets up and manages Dutch companies for owners abroad. In August and September 2026 enquiries came from Latvia, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and also from the United States, Turkey, Czechia, India, Nigeria and Canada. Nine of the fourteen came from inside the EU, and two owners found us through an AI assistant. Almost every message gives the same reasons. An EU customer, marketplace or regulator requires a company established in the EU, the owner wants a company with a reliable reputation, a bank account and a European VAT number, or the owner has companies in several countries and wants one holding company to own them all. You can read more on entering the European market, setting up a Dutch BV from abroad and the Dutch holding structure.
Source and version
The data come from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), StatLine table 85821NED, with final figures for 2024, 2023 and 2021 published by CBS on 9 October 2026, and from the KVK Trendrapport Q2 2026. We compile the index in Hoofddorp, keep it at the same web address and update it when CBS and KVK publish new figures. The figures for 2025 follow when CBS publishes them, expected in autumn 2027. The data file is available as JSON and CSV.
Please cite the index as “Holdwise Foreign Business Index, figures for 2024 (CBS StatLine 85821NED, 9 October 2026), Holdwise B.V., holdwise.nl/en/foreign-companies-netherlands-index”. You are free to reuse it with this reference.
Method and sources
Company counts, people employed and turnover per country come from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), StatLine table 85821NED, Buitenlandse zeggenschap bedrijven in Nederland; kerncijfers, bedrijfstak (foreign control of companies in the Netherlands, by industry). The figures cover industries B to S of the standard industry classification, excluding public administration (O) and membership organisations (S94), by country of ultimate control. They are final figures for 2021, 2023 and 2024. CBS last changed the table on 9 October 2026, when it added the final figures for 2024. We read them through the CBS open data service on 15 October 2026. CBS rounds company counts to multiples of five, so parts and totals can differ slightly. A dot in the CBS data means the figure is unknown, too uncertain or confidential, and the table shows n/a in that case. CBS gives people employed in thousands, which the table converts into people. We calculated the growth rate from the CBS figures for 2021 and 2024. Countries with the same number of companies share a rank. CBS also counts 5 companies in 2024 (10 in 2023) whose control is shared equally by owners from more than one EU country other than the Netherlands, and these companies stay outside the country table. The figure for 2025 comes from the Dutch government and counts new investment projects that the Invest in Holland network supported. Starters, stoppers and bankruptcies come from the KVK Trendrapport Q2 2026, and the enquiry countries from our own anonymised intake for August and September 2026.