Bike theft in the Netherlands: 86,950 reports in 2025

Summary. In 2025 the Dutch police registered 86,950 reports of bike theft, about 238 a day. The real number is much higher, because not every theft is reported. Amsterdam had the highest risk of any municipality in 2025, and according to insurers 35 to 40 percent of stolen bikes disappear from a locked space such as a garage or a shed. Below you find where bikes go missing, which lock your insurer expects, what to do when your bike is gone, and how to make sure a second-hand bike is not stolen. Updated in September 2026 with the figures for 2025.

How many bikes are stolen in the Netherlands?

The police registered 86,950 bike thefts in 2025. That is less than 1 percent more than in 2024. After a low of 59,950 in 2021 the number rose four years in a row, but only slightly since 2023, staying at around 85,000 to 87,000 reports a year. Up to 2015 it was above 100,000 a year, with a peak of almost 111,000 in 2014.

Source: CBS StatLine, bike thefts registered by the police per year.

Those are reports, not thefts. In the CBS Veiligheidsmonitor 2025, 5 percent of people aged 15 and over said their bike had been stolen in the past year. CBS counts 6.4 bike thefts per 100 inhabitants in that age group, which comes close to a million bikes a year.

Only part of those thefts reach the police. In the same survey, about 4 in 10 bike thefts were followed by an official police report, 38.7 percent in 2025. The survey and the police count are measured in different ways, so you cannot divide one by the other to get a reporting rate. Both point the same way: bike theft is common, and most thefts never show up in the police figures.

For you that means two things. Report a theft even if you expect nothing to come of it. And write down your frame number today, because without it you can hardly prove that a recovered bike is yours.

In which city are bikes stolen the most?

Amsterdam had the highest risk in 2025, with 12.8 registered bike thefts per 1,000 inhabitants. The national average was 4.8. Apart from Amsterdam and the beach town of Zandvoort, the top of the list is made up of university cities.

Moving to one of these cities to study or work? Budget for a good lock from day one, and use a guarded bike parking (bewaakte fietsenstalling) where there is one. A cheaper bike that you lock well is also a smaller loss if it does go.

Is bike theft common in Amsterdam?

Yes. With 12.8 reports per 1,000 inhabitants, Amsterdam had the highest bike theft risk in the country in 2025. That comes to close to 12,000 reported bike thefts in one year, or more than 30 a day.

Not every missing bike in Amsterdam is stolen, though. Municipalities remove bikes that are parked where it is not allowed and take them to a bike depot (fietsdepot). According to the VbV, the Amsterdam depot registers about 100,000 bikes a year, and 70 percent of them are never collected. So if your bike is gone, check the depot before you assume the worst. The police advise you to look on verlorenofgevonden.nl first.

New in the city? The lock advice below makes it less likely that your bike goes missing.

Where are bikes most commonly stolen?

Between 35 and 40 percent of stolen bikes are taken from a locked space, according to the VbV, the insurers' foundation against vehicle crime, in 2025. Think of a garage, a shed or an office building.

That surprises many people, because the usual advice is about the street. Do not leave your bike overnight at a dark spot, near a station or in a nightlife area. That advice is right. But it gives the impression that your bike is safe once it is inside.

A shared bike storage room (fietsenberging) in an apartment block is a good example. Many people have a key, nobody keeps an eye on it, and a thief can work there without being seen from the street.

So lock your bike indoors too, and lock it to something that does not move. Every minute a thief needs is a minute you win.

What types of bikes are stolen the most?

The police figures do not say which type of bike was stolen. The VbV pointed this out itself in 2025: the reports count thefts, not whether it was a city bike, a racing bike or an e-bike.

Insurers do see signs that stolen bikes have become more expensive. In a 2023 item from the Dutch Association of Insurers, a product manager at an insurer said that 61 percent of stolen bikes in 2022 were worth more than €2,000, against 18 percent in 2020, and linked that shift mainly to expensive e-bikes.

For you this means the more your bike is worth, the more it is a target. If you park in a city centre every day, a modest bike with a good lock attracts less attention than an expensive one.

Are electric bikes stolen more often?

E-bikes are a favourite target. They are worth more, and the battery can be sold on its own. In 2024 insurers warned that e-bike theft was rising fast and, together with the S.A.F.E. foundation, started a prevention campaign against it.

If you ride an e-bike, three things help:

• Take the battery with you when you park for longer.
• Use a lock with 3 ART stars. Stichting ART advises 3 stars for bikes with a high theft risk.
• Check your insurance. Bike insurers require a lock with at least 2 ART stars.

What does a good policy cover? Read our guide to bike insurance in the Netherlands →

How do you prevent a bicycle from being stolen?

No lock stops every thief. The aim is to make your bike take longer, and look like more trouble, than the bike next to it.

• Lock it to something fixed. A frame lock alone stops riding away, not lifting the bike into a van.
• Use two locks of different types. A chain lock and a frame lock need different tools.
• Check the ART stars. Stichting ART certifies locks with 1 to 5 stars.
• Write down your frame number and take a photo of it.
• Take the battery off an e-bike when you park for longer.
• Lock it indoors too. Remember the 35 to 40 percent above.
• Use a guarded bike parking where there is one.

Not sure which lock to buy? Our guide on choosing the right bike lock compares the types.

What do you do if a bicycle is stolen?

Act quickly, and in this order.

1. Check the depot first. Your bike may have been removed by the municipality. The police advise you to check verlorenofgevonden.nl before you report.
2. Report it to the police. You can do this online, or call 0900-8844 to report in person. The police say it is important that you give your frame number.
3. Tell your insurer. The VbV advises this even if your policy does not cover theft, so the insurance can be put on hold.
4. Keep looking. Check second-hand adverts in your region for your bike in the weeks after.

The police explain the procedure on their own bike theft page, in Dutch.

Our step by step guide on what to do when your bike is stolen covers the rest.

What happens if the police recover a stolen bicycle?

Only about 5 percent of stolen bikes are found again, according to the VbV in 2025. Your report is what makes a found bike traceable. The police enter reported bikes with a frame or chip number into the national register of stolen bikes, which the RDW makes available to everyone.

Without a report and a frame number, a found bike is hard to link to you, even when it is standing in a depot. That is why the frame number is the one thing you should always have written down.

Our article on the frame number explains where to find it and why it matters.

How do you know a second-hand bike is not stolen?

Ask for the frame number before you pay, and check it. You can do this yourself for free on the RDW website with the brand and the frame number. The police also point buyers to Stop Heling, where you can check whether an item is registered as stolen.

Keep in mind that the register only knows bikes that were reported. A clean result is a good sign, not a guarantee.

Watch for these warning signs:

• The price is far below what similar bikes cost.
• The seller will not show you the frame number.
• The frame number is scratched or filed away.
• The seller gives vague answers about where the bike comes from.

This matters for you too. The police say that buying a stolen bike is punishable when you could have suspected it was stolen, for example because the price was far too low.

For the rest of the checks, read our guide on how to choose a second-hand bike.

How does BikeFair keep stolen bikes off its platform?

A marketplace for second-hand bikes carries a responsibility here. This is how we check the bikes listed with us.

• Frame number and photo. Sellers enter the frame number and add a photo of it.
• Checked against stolen-bike databases. We compare frame numbers against many stolen-bike databases worldwide, including official police ones. We work with Bike Index, Stop Heling and the Dutch police.
• ID when there is no frame number. If a seller cannot provide a frame number, ID verification is mandatory before the listing goes live.
• Photos and suspicious cases. We assess bikes from the photos and the information supplied, and we check suspicious cases.
• Verification badge. Bikes with the BikeFair verification badge are guaranteed not stolen. For other bikes, check the frame number at handover.
• Full refund. If a bike you bought through BikeFair proves to be stolen, you get your money back in full.

According to our own records, no stolen bike has been sold through BikeFair so far.

Selling your bike? Have the frame number and a clear photo of it ready before you start.

Frequently asked questions

How many bikes are stolen per day in the Netherlands? In 2025 the police registered 86,950 bike thefts, about 238 a day. The real number is higher, because not every theft is reported.

How many bikes are stolen per year in the Netherlands? The police registered 86,950 reports in 2025. The CBS survey counts 6.4 thefts per 100 inhabitants aged 15 and over, which comes close to a million bikes a year.

Where are the most bikes stolen? In 2025 Amsterdam had the highest risk, with 12.8 reports per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Groningen and Nijmegen. According to the VbV, 35 to 40 percent of stolen bikes are taken from a locked space.

Are e-bikes stolen more often? The police figures do not split thefts by type of bike. Insurers do see signs that stolen bikes have become more expensive, mainly because of e-bikes.

What are the chances of getting my stolen bike back? About 5 percent of stolen bikes are found again, according to the VbV. Report the theft with your frame number, otherwise a found bike is hard to link to you.

How do I check whether a second-hand bike is stolen? Ask for the frame number and check it for free on the RDW website or at Stop Heling. On BikeFair, bikes with the verification badge are guaranteed not stolen.

Which lock does my insurer want? Bike insurers require a lock with at least 2 ART stars.