Research and development; personnel, expenditure, company size, branch

Research and development; personnel, expenditure, company size, branch

Company size Sector/branches (SIC2008) Periods R&D personnel Employed persons (number) R&D personnel Years of work (number) Expenditure R&D on in-house activities (mln euro) Enterprises with in-house R&D activities (number)
Total C Manufacturing 2022** 65,815 52,094 7,494 .
Total 10-12 Manufacture of food and beverages 2022** 4,121 3,268 376 .
Total 10 Manufacture of food products 2022** 3,934 3,130 361 .
Total 11 Manufacture of beverages 2022** . . . .
Total 12 Manufacture of tobacco products 2022** . . . .
Total 13-15 Man. of textile-, leatherproducts 2022** 511 339 37 .
Total 13 Manufacture of textiles 2022** 349 223 26 .
Total 14 Manufacture of wearing apparel 2022** 30 11 1 .
Total 15 Manufacture of leather and footwear 2022** 132 105 10 .
Total 16+23 Man of wooden and buildingmaterial 2022** 1,071 500 39 .
Total 16 Manufacture of wood products 2022** 377 131 8 .
Total 17-18 Manufacture of paper and printing 2022** 646 426 34 .
Total 17 Manufacture of paper 2022** 488 315 26 .
Total 19 Manufacture of coke and petroleum 2022** . . . .
Total 20 Manufacture of chemicals 2022** 4,689 3,901 597 .
Total 21 Manufacture of pharmaceuticals 2022** 2,675 2,407 334 .
Total 22 Manufacture rubber, plastic products 2022** . . . .
Total 23 Manufacture of building materials 2022** 694 370 31 .
Total 24-25 Man. of basic metals and -products 2022** 5,447 2,762 272 .
Total 24 Manufacture of basic metals 2022** 987 705 97 .
Total 25 Manufacture of metal products 2022** 4,460 2,057 175 .
Total 26-28 Manufact of electronics, machinery 2022** 37,308 31,769 5,013 .
Total 26 Manufacture of electronic products 2022** 9,295 8,227 1,207 .
Total 27 Manufacture of electric equipment 2022** 4,363 3,551 414 .
Total 28 Manufacture of machinery n.e.c. 2022** 23,650 19,992 3,392 .
Total 29 Manufacture of cars and trailers 2022** 1,983 1,704 161 .
Total 30 Manufacture of other transport 2022** 1,756 1,132 95 .
Total 31 Manufacture of furniture 2022** 313 171 12 .
Total 32 Manufacture of other products 2022** 1,383 975 81 .
Total E Water supply and waste management 2022** 728 393 35 .
Total 69-71 Management, technical consultancy 2022** 15,550 7,576 616 .
0 to 49 employed persons C Manufacturing 2022** 12,128 6,136 432 .
0 to 49 employed persons 10-12 Manufacture of food and beverages 2022** 297 129 8 .
0 to 49 employed persons 10 Manufacture of food products 2022** 257 104 7 .
0 to 49 employed persons 11 Manufacture of beverages 2022** 39 25 1 .
0 to 49 employed persons 12 Manufacture of tobacco products 2022** 0 0 0 .
0 to 49 employed persons 13-15 Man. of textile-, leatherproducts 2022** 196 87 5 .
0 to 49 employed persons 13 Manufacture of textiles 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 14 Manufacture of wearing apparel 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 15 Manufacture of leather and footwear 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 16+23 Man of wooden and buildingmaterial 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 16 Manufacture of wood products 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 17-18 Manufacture of paper and printing 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 17 Manufacture of paper 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 19 Manufacture of coke and petroleum 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 20 Manufacture of chemicals 2022** 510 285 23 .
0 to 49 employed persons 21 Manufacture of pharmaceuticals 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 22 Manufacture rubber, plastic products 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 23 Manufacture of building materials 2022** 192 78 7 .
0 to 49 employed persons 24-25 Man. of basic metals and -products 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 24 Manufacture of basic metals 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 25 Manufacture of metal products 2022** 2,053 795 49 .
0 to 49 employed persons 26-28 Manufact of electronics, machinery 2022** 5,330 2,886 200 .
0 to 49 employed persons 26 Manufacture of electronic products 2022** 1,448 1,036 73 .
0 to 49 employed persons 27 Manufacture of electric equipment 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 28 Manufacture of machinery n.e.c. 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 29 Manufacture of cars and trailers 2022** 216 102 6 .
0 to 49 employed persons 30 Manufacture of other transport 2022** 442 263 22 .
0 to 49 employed persons 31 Manufacture of furniture 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 32 Manufacture of other products 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons E Water supply and waste management 2022** . . . .
0 to 49 employed persons 69-71 Management, technical consultancy 2022** 9,334 4,108 299 .
50 to 249 employed persons C Manufacturing 2022** 14,733 10,076 990 .
50 to 249 employed persons 10-12 Manufacture of food and beverages 2022** 1,406 1,000 99 .
50 to 249 employed persons 10 Manufacture of food products 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 11 Manufacture of beverages 2022** 44 23 2 .
50 to 249 employed persons 12 Manufacture of tobacco products 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 13-15 Man. of textile-, leatherproducts 2022** 145 98 9 .
50 to 249 employed persons 13 Manufacture of textiles 2022** 99 65 6 .
50 to 249 employed persons 14 Manufacture of wearing apparel 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 15 Manufacture of leather and footwear 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 16+23 Man of wooden and buildingmaterial 2022** 446 265 21 .
50 to 249 employed persons 16 Manufacture of wood products 2022** 110 64 4 .
50 to 249 employed persons 17-18 Manufacture of paper and printing 2022** 314 216 16 .
50 to 249 employed persons 17 Manufacture of paper 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 19 Manufacture of coke and petroleum 2022** 32 27 2 .
50 to 249 employed persons 20 Manufacture of chemicals 2022** 1,262 1,007 127 .
50 to 249 employed persons 21 Manufacture of pharmaceuticals 2022** 360 264 31 .
50 to 249 employed persons 22 Manufacture rubber, plastic products 2022** 926 702 76 .
50 to 249 employed persons 23 Manufacture of building materials 2022** 337 201 17 .
50 to 249 employed persons 24-25 Man. of basic metals and -products 2022** 2,048 861 70 .
50 to 249 employed persons 24 Manufacture of basic metals 2022** 219 87 6 .
50 to 249 employed persons 25 Manufacture of metal products 2022** 1,829 774 64 .
50 to 249 employed persons 26-28 Manufact of electronics, machinery 2022** 5,919 4,360 436 .
50 to 249 employed persons 26 Manufacture of electronic products 2022** 1,489 1,273 144 .
50 to 249 employed persons 27 Manufacture of electric equipment 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 28 Manufacture of machinery n.e.c. 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 29 Manufacture of cars and trailers 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 30 Manufacture of other transport 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 31 Manufacture of furniture 2022** 51 35 3 .
50 to 249 employed persons 32 Manufacture of other products 2022** 603 457 40 .
50 to 249 employed persons E Water supply and waste management 2022** . . . .
50 to 249 employed persons 69-71 Management, technical consultancy 2022** 3,293 1,983 164 .
250 and more employed persons C Manufacturing 2022** 38,954 35,882 6,072 .
250 and more employed persons 10-12 Manufacture of food and beverages 2022** 2,418 2,138 268 .
250 and more employed persons 10 Manufacture of food products 2022** . . . .
250 and more employed persons 11 Manufacture of beverages 2022** . . . .
250 and more employed persons 12 Manufacture of tobacco products 2022** 0 0 0 .
250 and more employed persons 13-15 Man. of textile-, leatherproducts 2022** 170 155 23 .
250 and more employed persons 13 Manufacture of textiles 2022** . . . .
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


This table contains figures regarding enterprises that conduct in-house Research and Development (R&D) activities with own or external personnel. Additionally figures are available regarding the personnel and the expenditure related to these R&D activities.

The figures are broken down by company size and branch of industry according to the Standard Industrial Classification 2008 (SIC 2008).

The R&D activities are conducted in-house by own or external personnel in the Netherlands. Outsourced R&D is not included in this table. Furthermore, this table only concerns the "businesses" sector. The sectors "institutions" and "higher education" are not included in this table.

Data available from: 2013

Status of the figures:
The data regarding 2013-2021 are definitive and the data regarding 2022 are revised provisional.

Changes as of 30 August 2024:
The revised provisional figures about 2022 have been published.

As of statistical year 2022, a new sample design and weighting method are used for this statistic. This makes the published data more accurate, but this change does mean that figures on the number of R&D firms can only be published in 2025.

When will new figures be published?
Mid 2025 the figures about 2023 will be published.

Description topics

R&D personnel
The personnel that conducts the in-house R&D activities, expressed in numbers of employed persons and years of work.
Employed persons
Someone working for a company located in the Netherlands, or for an institution or private household in the Netherlands.

In order to be included in the R&D personnel an employed person needs to spend at least 0,1 FTE annually on R&D related activities.

Employed persons are all persons having paid jobs, even for only one or some hours a week, and even if they:
- work legally as such, but without registration for income tax and social security (“undeclared work”);
- are temporarily not at work, but have continued receipt of wages or salary (for instance in case of illness or hold-ups due to frost);
- are on a temporary unpaid-leave.
Employed persons can be divided into employees and the self-employed persons. They can live in the Netherlands, but also abroad.

Years of work
A measure for the volume of work, calculated by converting all jobs (full-time and part-time) into full-time jobs, also known as full-time equivalents (FTE).

As such, when combined, the volume of work of two half jobs (0.5 FTE each) totals one year of work.
Expenditure R&D on in-house activities
Enterprises with in-house R&D activities