The number of breweries in the Netherlands fell by 40 to 740 last year, marking the first decline in brewery numbers in 15 years.

In 2010, there were just 75 official breweries registered in the Netherlands, but their number has increased tenfold since then, according to new figures from national statistics agency CBS.

Small craft breweries account for most of the increase. Of the total number in 2025, 380 had just one employee, 160 had two, and 75 had between three and five.

Craft brewers also accounted for the entire downturn – 25 single-person breweries and 15 two-person operations closed their doors last year.

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Most breweries are in Noord-Brabant province, which has 160 of the total, followed by Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, and Gelderland.