Research help for students and companies
Students of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, researching business in the Netherlands and around the world.
Higher education in numbers
All statisticsStudents in Dutch higher education
773,270
Study year 2025/26 (provisional)Students enrolled at universities of applied sciences (hbo) and research universities (wo) in the Netherlands, full-time, part-time and dual.
Source: CBS (2026b)
Students in higher education worldwide
274 million
2025Up from about 100 million in 2000 (UNESCO, 2026). All levels of higher education, November 2026 data release.
Students in the Netherlands
CBS StatLine773,270 students in 2025/26 (provisional), against 832,570 at the peak in 2021/22.
Show as table
| Study year | Total | hbo | wo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011/12 | 667,190 | 423,950 | 245,430 |
| 2012/13 | 661,120 | 421,690 | 241,370 |
| 2013/14 | 688,190 | 440,290 | 250,190 |
| 2014/15 | 699,570 | 446,430 | 255,660 |
| 2015/16 | 701,120 | 442,590 | 261,170 |
| 2016/17 | 712,110 | 446,650 | 268,030 |
| 2017/18 | 730,150 | 452,690 | 280,040 |
| 2018/19 | 747,840 | 455,670 | 294,710 |
| 2019/20 | 767,580 | 463,330 | 306,890 |
| 2020/21 | 817,270 | 489,260 | 331,420 |
| 2021/22 | 832,570 | 491,440 | 344,630 |
| 2022/23 | 817,750 | 476,830 | 344,100 |
| 2023/24 | 801,320 | 460,430 | 343,880 |
| 2024/25 | 788,730 | 449,930 | 341,720 |
| 2025/26 | 773,270 | 440,220 | 335,930 |
Source: CBS (2026b), table 85423NED, government-funded institutions, counted on 1 October. Hatched column: provisional. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
Research topics
Six topics from applied research, with the main terms explained.
Quantitative research
Research that collects data as numbers, usually with a survey, and analyses it with statistics: how often something occurs, how strongly people agree, whether groups differ.
- Sample size and margin of error
- Descriptive statistics and tests
Qualitative research
Research that collects data as words, in interviews, focus groups or observations, and analyses it by coding: what people say and do, and how they explain it themselves.
- Topic list and interview guide
- Coding the transcripts
Survey distribution
Getting a questionnaire to the people in your sample: building the form, testing it with a small group, sending the invitation and reminding people until enough of them have answered.
- Pilot with a small group first
- Reminders and response tracking
Data analysis
Turning collected data into results: cleaning the export, coding open answers, calculating frequencies and averages, and showing them in tables and charts.
- Cleaning and coding the data
- Charts with source and table
Business research
Research into a company and the market it works in, using company registers, annual reports and sector statistics, brought together in a situational analysis.
- Company and sector sources
- Situational analysis
Desk research and literature
Where to find official statistics, published studies and sector reports on your topic, and how to tell a reliable source from a weak one.
- Statistics offices and open data
- Judging the quality of a source
Where the world's students are
According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026a), 274 million people study in higher education. These are the countries with the most students, using the latest year each country reported to UNESCO.
- 1 China 60.1M 2025
- 2 India 44.4M 2026
- 3 United States 18.5M 2024
- 4 Indonesia 10.8M 2025
- 5 Brazil 10.6M 2024
- 6 Russia 8.1M 2025
- 7 Türkiye 7.1M 2024
- 8 Philippines 5.8M 2026
- 9 Mexico 5.4M 2024
- 10 Egypt 4.3M 2025
- 11 Bangladesh 3.9M 2025
- 12 Japan 3.9M 2024
- 13 Argentina 3.8M 2024
- 14 Viet Nam 3.5M 2025
- 15 Iran 3.3M 2022
- 16 Germany 3.3M 2024
- 17 United Kingdom 3.2M 2024
- 18 France 2.9M 2024
- 19 South Korea 2.7M 2024
- 20 Pakistan 2.6M 2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026a), retrieved November 13, 2026. UNESCO counts all higher-education levels, so national figures can differ: India's own survey counted 4.50 crore (45.0 million) students in 2023-24 (Ministry of Education (2026)).
Hover a country in the list or on the globe · drag to turn it
Let NHL Stenden students research your business
Tell us about your business and what you want to find out. We will tell you where NHL Stenden students can help.
Meanwhile in research
5,925,303
journal articles published in 2026 so far
≈ 13.0 new articles per minute this year · Source: Crossref, updated daily · the last digits are an estimate