1.6 million people now have a student debt

At the beginning of this year, a record 1.6 million people in the Netherlands had a student debt. The average debt has not risen and is still 15.2 thousand euros.

This year, over 100 thousand more people have a student debt than the year before, according to a CBS report. This is probably because in 2020, the year of the pandemic, more young people started studying. The success rate in secondary education was high and fewer young people took a gap year.

Gemiddelde schuld blijft even hoog

Since the introduction of student loans in 2015, the average student debt rose from 12.4 thousand euros to 15.2 thousand euros at the beginning of 2020. The fact that the total has not risen further may be due to government support measures, like halving tuition fees.

Totale schuld neemt toe

Nevertheless, the total debt of students and former students is rising. At the start of 2021, it was 24.4 billion euros, seven percent more than the previous year. Student debt has doubled since the introduction of student loans.

Young people have the lowest debts, because they have not been borrowing money for so long. Under the age of 20, they have an average debt of 2.6 thousand euros, 30 percent less than the previous year. Among young adults aged between 20 and 25, the debt is 12.8 thousand euros, around the same as last year.

For older people in the Netherlands, student debt has risen. People aged between 25 and 30 had an average outstanding debt of 19.1 thousand euros.