Participating in Statistics Netherlands (CBS) surveys

Why does CBS ask for your business data?

Your company’s data are needed to gain insight in and illustrate economic growth, price developments, turnover data, investments, and employment. Wherever possible CBS uses data available from other government organisations such as for instance the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. Often this is sufficient, but not always. In that case, CBS may ask businesses to fill in a questionnaire. For this, businesses will be selected randomly.

Participation is mandatory

Participation in such a survey is mandatory, as per the law on Statistics Netherlands. If you do not fill in the questionnaire within the requested time, you may be fined.

What to expect

The information that Statistics Netherlands asks you for may include:

the legal structure of your company
the number and size of your establishments
your economic activities
your costs, such as purchase costs, wages, social charges, and taxes
your inventory
sick leaves and sick reports
production, collection, and processing of waste
your energy savings

How to supply the data

If you need to participate in the survey CBS will send you a letter. In the letter you will find your username and password. You fill in the questionnaire via a secure website. Sending your data via this website is also secure.

Did you lose your login details? You can apply for new login details with CBS.

Confidentiality of data

Statistics Netherlands must facilitate the participation in the survey and is only entitled to use the collected data for making statistics. Your data will not be shared with others and will be made unrecognisable.

Where can I find the CBS statistics?

CBS publishes reports and news items on entrepreneurial data. For instance the State of SMEs Annual Report (scroll down for English-laguage pdf), and the quarterly COEN Business Survey Netherlands which presents the mood among Dutch entrepreneurs. This may help you in your own market orientation and research.