The Netherlands is one of Europe’s largest tech hubs, with Amsterdam having the largest share of the country’s startups and Eindhoven emerging as a key tech city. Here, we’ll look at average software developer salaries in the Netherlands at each stage of their careers.
Average junior software developer salary trends
Junior software developers in the Netherlands with more than two years of experience make an average of €43 019 per year.
Once they reach the mid-career level, software developers in the Netherlands receive the most significant pay rise of their careers.
Mid-level developers in the Netherlands see their salaries increase by 23.8% above those of juniors, which gives them an average annual salary of €53 252.
Why the significant increase? Developers typically change jobs more frequently at this stage of their careers. This gives them a chance to negotiate a higher market-related salary than the inflationary increases developers can expect if they stay with one company.
Companies hiring developers at these career stages are more inclined to offer what might seem like a significant increase because the salary range is still not that high.
Average Developer Salaries by Experience
Average Salary by Years Experience, showing 25th and 75th percentiles
| Years of Experience | 25th Percentile | Average | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | €32,500 | €43,019 | €52,500 |
| 4-6 | €42,500 | €53,252 | €62,500 |
| 6-10 | €52,500 | €60,588 | €67,500 |
| 10+ | €57,500 | €69,398 | €77,500 |
Average senior software developer salary trends
Salary increases for developers in the Netherlands begin to slow once they reach higher levels of seniority.
Senior developers with six to ten years of experience can expect a 13.8% salary increase, giving them an average annual salary of €60 588.
Why does salary growth slow for developers at this level? It’s standard for more experienced developers to see a slowdown at this level of their careers, regardless of their tech stack or role.
In addition to more experienced developers generally changing jobs less often than junior and mid-level developers, companies also have to consider salary increases as a developer’s salary level becomes “more expensive”.
Once they pass the ten-year experience mark, developers in the Netherlands see a slight uptick in their growth to 14.5%, giving them an average salary of €69 398.
Keep in mind
The data in this article is taken from OfferZen’s 2022 Netherlands report: State of the Software Developer Nation. In this article, “salary” refers to the gross annual salary (before tax) provided by 510 survey respondents.
We only included salary insights for experience levels with enough data points to ensure that the amounts represent developers in the country. That’s why we excluded entry-level developer salaries for this article.
Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. Many respondents may earn significantly more or significantly less than these averages. However, we hope to map underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.
These averages should not be used to estimate what your actual salary will or should be.
Salaries depend on the company size, industry, individual, perks and nature of work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are “fluent” in several languages, which will affect the final figures.
It’s also essential to remember that every individual’s context is different. Salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.
Related resources:
- 2022 Netherlands report: State of the Software Developer Nation
- How to Negotiate a Job Offer That's More Than Just the Money
- How to Negotiate when Hiring Developers
- Python Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands
- JavaScript Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands
- TypeScript Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands
- React Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands
- Full Stack Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands
- SQL Developer Salary Trends in the Netherlands