Market Research Companies in Amsterdam

Key figures for researchers

Population

941,873 (1 January 2026)¹

Growth

+7,500 residents in 2025, with net migration from abroad of +14,000¹

Districts

7 stadsdelen (Centrum, West, Noord, Oost, Zuid, Zuidoost, Nieuw-West) plus the Weesp city area³

Place of birth

35% born in Amsterdam, 27% elsewhere in the Netherlands, 13% elsewhere in Europe, 25% outside Europe (2025)³

Migration background

59.6% of residents: 38.0% born abroad, 21.7% born in the Netherlands to a foreign-born parent (1 January 2024)⁴

Age

16% aged 0–17, 14% aged 65 and over (2025)³

Households

516,096; 52% are people living alone (2025)⁵

Families

16% of households are couples with children, 9% single parents (2025)⁵

Housing

70% of homes rented: 36% social rent from housing associations, 10% social rent from private landlords; 30% owner-occupied (2025)⁵

Single-family houses

17% of the housing stock (2025)⁵

Research guide

Research landscape

Amsterdam is one of the main research centres of the Netherlands, with the other Randstad cities: full-service agencies, qualitative specialists, B2B and healthcare firms, data analytics companies, panel providers and viewing facilities. The city also has its own statistics office, Onderzoek en Statistiek, which publishes detailed figures by district: useful for setting quotas and checking samples.

Who you will interview

Amsterdam is far more international than the country as a whole. Only 35% of residents were born in the city and 27% elsewhere in the Netherlands, while 13% were born elsewhere in Europe and 25% outside Europe. Counting the second generation, 59.6% of residents had a migration background on 1 January 2024. Growth comes from abroad: in 2025 net migration from abroad was +14,000, while the city lost 10,000 residents to the rest of the country.

The population is young and lives in small households: 16% of residents are under 18 and 14% are 65 or over, and 52% of households are people living alone. Couples with children are only 16% of households. Dutch questionnaires remain the standard for consumer studies, but with so many residents born abroad, consider an English version or other translations when international or migrant audiences matter.

Fieldwork in practice

The city has 7 stadsdelen (Centrum, West, Noord, Oost, Zuid, Zuidoost and Nieuw-West) plus the Weesp city area. Results differ between them: the city’s own monitor reports that Zuidoost, Nieuw-West and Noord are below the city average on well-being. Sampling or quotas by stadsdeel help avoid over-representing the centre and the inner districts.

Door-to-door interviewing is demanding: only 17% of homes are single-family houses, so most interviews mean apartment buildings with entry systems, and 70% of homes are rented. Face-to-face studies usually need more contact attempts and more time. Online panels are the main method for consumer surveys, with telephone or in-person interviews for older or offline audiences (see the Netherlands guide).

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person focus groups are usually held in dedicated viewing facilities with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Only about a quarter of Amsterdam households own a car, so check that the facility is easy to reach by public transport or bike, and plan evening groups accordingly.

Ask the agency for its Amsterdam incentive levels and recruitment lead times, and in which languages groups can be moderated. Online communities and video interviews are widely used, alone or alongside in-person groups, especially for B2B and international respondents.

Timing

Amsterdam is in the north school holiday region. In 2026/27 the holidays are: Christmas from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, spring from 20 to 28 February 2027, May from 24 April to 2 May 2027 and summer from 10 July to 22 August 2027. Families and business targets are harder to reach in these periods.

Late April and early May are busy: King’s Day is a public holiday on Tuesday 27 April 2027, during the May school holiday, followed by Liberation Day on 5 May and Ascension Day on 6 May. Avoid starting fieldwork just before Christmas.

Working with an Amsterdam agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, stadsdelen or areas, method, languages and deadline.
• For face-to-face or recruitment, ask how the agency reaches apartment buildings, renters, single-person households and migrant communities.
• For focus groups, ask for the facility address, viewing room capacity, streaming options, moderation languages and incentive levels.
• Ask whether the agency is a member of MOA and follows the Code of Conduct for Statistical Research 2022.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 Amsterdam companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in the Netherlands.