More than 26% of the Dutch exports last year were made by independent small businesses, the Dutch statistics bureau CBS said last week.
CBS noted that most of these goods were manufactured in the Netherlands. The export figure for the small business sector increased to 36% of total exports, when companies which are smaller units of large concerns are included. But that is mainly due to the re-export of goods produced outside the Netherlands.
Exports by independent small businesses were worth €80bn in 2015, with nearly 75% of this consisting of Dutch-produced goods. The number of start-up businesses which export in the independent small business sector has increased significantly in recent years.
In 2014 more than 11,000 companies began to export. Between 2011 and 2013 the number of new exporting firms was 5,000 to 6,000 a year. But the start-ups were mostly small volume exporters: more than 45% have exports worth below €5,000 a year, CBS said.