Based on data from the Dutch police, comparison site Independer has reported that the number of bicycles being stolen in the Netherlands has increased for the third year in a row. Unsurprisingly, Amsterdam remains a hotspot for bike thefts but was not the municipality where the most bikes were stolen.
Bicycle thefts in the Netherlands on the rise
In 2024, a total of 86.220 bicycles were reported stolen - 30 percent more than five years earlier. This means there are at least 236 bike thefts per day and more than nine per hour.
Noord-Holland was the province that saw the most bicycle thefts at 19.415, with Zuid-Holland (19.325) and Noord-Brabant (12.835) following close behind. However, many provinces actually experienced a drop in bicycle thefts, namely Utrecht, Groningen, Friesland, Overijssel and even Noord-Holland. Zuid-Holland, on the other hand, saw the fastest rise in bike thefts - 590 more bikes were stolen in 2024 compared to 2023 - with 4.705 stolen in Rotterdam alone.
“Not everyone reports a stolen bike. The actual number of thefts will therefore be much higher than we know,” wrote Independer insurance expert Michel Ypma. “In addition, more and more people have an electric bike. That can partly explain the increase in the number of registered bike thefts. Reporting is necessary if you want compensation from your insurer.” According to road user groups RAI Vereniging and Bovag, e-bikes made up 48 percent of new bike purchases last year, with an average cost of 2.719 euros each - an amount that cyclists are more likely to get insurance to cover.
Smaller Dutch municipalities also face high rates of bike theft
In the city of Amsterdam, 10.810 bicycles were stolen just last year - more than the number of bike thefts in the provinces of Drenthe, Flevoland, Zeeland, Friesland and Groningen combined. While everyone knows that a high number of bicycles are stolen in the Dutch capital, there is still a great risk of bike theft in smaller cities.
When comparing how many bikes are looted with the number of households in a municipality, Amsterdam is not the hotspot for bike thefts, but rather Heemstede. 23,3 bicycles were taken per 1.000 households in Heemstede, 2,3 more than in Amsterdam.
10 Dutch municipalities where most bicycle thefts occur
According to Independer, these are the municipalities in the Netherlands where the most bike thefts occurred in 2024 (per 1.000 households):
- Heemstede (23,3)
- Veere (22,7)
- Nijmegen (21,7)
- Amsterdam (21,0)
- Zandvoort (20,9)
- Eindhoven (20,6)
- Haarlem (20,5)
- Delft (20,5)
- Utrecht (20,1)
- Groningen (19,2)
For more information on the research, visit the Independer website and check out our guide on how to prevent your bike from being stolen.