Dutch student debt falls for first time to €28 billion
The amount owed by current and former students fell by €800 million in a year, but the average debt among those who owed money rose.
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The Netherlands’ total outstanding student debt stood at €28 billion at the start of 2026, down from €28.8 billion a year earlier, according to the Dutch statistics agency CBS. It was the first annual fall in the total, though the average debt among people who owed money rose from €18,100 to €18,300. The figures for both years are provisional. [1]
About 1.5 million current and former students had debt, the third consecutive annual fall in the number of people who owed money. Around 400,000 current students had debt, 210,000 fewer than in 2023. More than 1.1 million former students had debt, over 6,000 more than a year earlier. CBS says fewer students have applied for loans since the basic grant for higher education was reinstated in the 2023/24 academic year. [1]
Average debt was €15,600 among current students who owed money and €19,200 among former students who owed money. About 145,000 people owed at least €50,000, roughly twice as many as six years earlier. CBS says this group grew, but its provisional table shows a slight fall from 145,000 in 2025 to 144,500 in 2026. [1]
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