Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Education in the Netherlands - Statistics & Facts
The education system in the Netherlands is broken up into many different divisions to meet the needs of students, regardless of their background or goals. These factions can be grouped into three main sections, one of which is basic education which includes lower education, secondary education, and higher education.
In 2021, around 1.37 million students were enrolled in elementary education and just over 941,500 were enrolled in secondary education, while in 2020, 329,000 were enrolled in a Dutch university.
The average student debt of students in the Netherlands has recently increased, as the average student in the Netherlands owes roughly 18,500 euros.
There was a higher share of international students enrolled in master's programs than in bachelor's programs, with around 26.5 percent and 12.6 percent respectively. The two universities with the highest number of international students were University of Amsterdam and the Maastricht University, each with over 11,000 international students.
In 2021, around 1.37 million students were enrolled in elementary education and just over 941,500 were enrolled in secondary education, while in 2020, 329,000 were enrolled in a Dutch university.
Education and the labor market
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dutch citizens who achieved a higher level of education had a better position in the labor market. Those who have a higher education level earned, on average, over 18,000 euros more per year than those who had achieved a lower education level. Furthermore, citizens with a lower education level experienced significantly higher unemployment, as those with a low education saw an unemployment rate of 7.1 percent compared to 2.9 percent for those with a high education.The average student debt of students in the Netherlands has recently increased, as the average student in the Netherlands owes roughly 18,500 euros.
Internationalization in higher education
The Netherlands is often seen as a country open to foreigners, as a growing number of international students are enrolled into Dutch universities, since most universities offer an array of studies and courses in English. The number of international students amounted to over 122,000 in 2021 which equated to around 15 percent of the total number of university students.There was a higher share of international students enrolled in master's programs than in bachelor's programs, with around 26.5 percent and 12.6 percent respectively. The two universities with the highest number of international students were University of Amsterdam and the Maastricht University, each with over 11,000 international students.
