How many people have a student debt?
At the beginning of 2022, 1.6 million students and former students in the Netherlands had an outstanding student debt. Just over half of them owed less than 10 thousand euros. Over 100 thousand students and graduates had a debt of at least 50 thousand euros, of whom 1.4 thousand owed over 100 thousand euros.
The average Dutch study debtnoot1 at the start of 2022 amounted to 16.4 thousand euros. In September 2015, the government introduced the student loan system. This scheme replaced the basic grant. Since then, the average debt has risen by 4 thousand euros. Just over one million people in the Netherlands were still repaying their student loans in 2015. After that, this number grew by another 600 thousand.
| Jaar | Average student debt |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 12.6 |
| 2012 | 11.8 |
| 2013 | 11.9 |
| 2014 | 12.2 |
| 2015 | 12.4 |
| 2016 | 12.3 |
| 2017 | 12.4 |
| 2018 | 12.9 |
| 2019 | 14.4 |
| 2020 | 15.3 |
| 2021* | 15.5 |
| 2022* | 16.4 |
| *Provisional figures | |
Highest debts for 25 to 29‑year-olds
People aged 25 to 29 years had the highest outstanding debt at the beginning of 2022. Most of them had graduated and were repaying their loans. Their debts averaged 21.2 thousand euros. People over the age of 30 had an outstanding debt of 18.2 thousand euros on average.
Study debts of under-20s were substantially lower: 2.4 thousand euros on average. However, most of them are still studying and their debts are still building up. In the age group 20 to 24 years, three-quarters are enrolled in higher education and still building up debt. The average debt in this age group is 13.9 thousand euros.
Men had yet to repay an average 16.8 thousand euros in student loans at the beginning of 2022. Women owed slightly less: 16 thousand euros on average.
| Kenmerk | Average student debt |
|---|---|
| Total | 16,4 |
| . | |
| 0-20 yrs | 2,4 |
| 20-24 yrs | 13,9 |
| 25-29 yrs | 21,2 |
| 30 yrs and over | 18,2 |
| . | |
| Men | 16,8 |
| Women | 16,0 |
| *Provisional figures | |
Total outstanding study debt approaching 27 billion euros
The overall outstanding study debt of students and former students had risen to 26.6 billion euros at the beginning of 2022. Since the basic grant was abolished in 2015, the total study debt has doubled. The debt is increasing yearly as both the number of students with loans and the amount they borrow have risen since 2015.
The loan system is to end in academic year 2023–2024. The Dutch government has decided to reinstate the basic grant scheme for students in higher education.
| Jaar | Total student debt |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 9.5 |
| 2012 | 10.2 |
| 2013 | 10.9 |
| 2014 | 11.8 |
| 2015 | 12.7 |
| 2016 | 13.9 |
| 2017 | 15.4 |
| 2018 | 17.5 |
| 2019 | 20.6 |
| 2020 | 23.1 |
| 2021* | 25.0 |
| 2022* | 26.6 |
| *Provisional figures | |
The questions
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- Where do international students in the Netherlands come from?
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- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many inhabitants in the Netherlands??
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- How many people have a student debt?
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Noten
Study debt
Study debts include
- study debts of current students under the Student Finance Act (WSF), excluding provisional performance-related grants, and
- study debts of former students under the long-term debt collection scheme (ILS), and
- study debts under the lifelong learning credit scheme (LLLK).