Figures

PhD Students

The following figures about PhD students concern salaried PhD students only, i.e. those who have a PhD employment contract at a Dutch research university. The Netherlands also knows a number of other forms of pursuing a PhD, such as with a scholarship or doing a PhD next to a salaried position inside or outside of university. The figures below do not include PhD students at the University Medical Centres (discipline health).

Number of PhD Students per Discipline
Although the number of doctorates in the Netherlands lags behind that of comparable countries, a positive trend is observable: the number of doctorates in the Netherlands rose from 2360 in the year 2000 to 3132 in the year 2006.

PhD Students According to Sex
The last eight years have seen an increase in the percentage of female PhD students from 37% to 42%. In the first four years, the percentage rose by 1%; in the last four years, the percentage rose by 4%. At the end of 2008, there were fewer female than male PhD students only in the disciplines science, technology and economics.

PhD Students According to Age
Most PhD students are between 25 and 29 years old, though age varies according to discipline. In economics, disproportionately many PhD students are younger than 25; in language and culture, more PhD students than in any other discipline are 30 years and older. Women are overrepresented in the lowest and highest age groups.

Postdocs

For their registration of academic staff, all Dutch research universities use the Dutch system of university function profiles ("Universitair Functie Ordeningssysteem"). That system does not know a function profile for postdocs. The position of postdoc corresponds to different function profiles, making the gathering of data on postdocs difficult. The following figures are approximations based on the function profiles of "researcher 3" and "researcher 4" with a temporary contract. They do no include postdocs with different contracts and function profiles. The figures below do not include postdocs at the University Medical Centres (discipline health).

Number of Postdocs per Discipline
Between 2005 and 2008, the number of postdocs increased by 25%, with significant differences between disciplines. Technology, science and agriculture have seen the largest increase; economics and language and culture show almost no increase, while numbers in law have slightly decreased.

Postdocs According to Sex
With the exception of agriculture, language and culture and miscellaneous, the percentage of female postdocs has been increasing. Law and economics have seen the largest increase: 22% in law and 15% in economics.

Postdocs According to Age
Almost three quarters of postdocs are between 25 and 35 years old. About 4% of postdocs are 45 years and older. The differences between disciplines are considerable: while postdocs in language and culture are older than average, postdocs in law, economics and science are younger than average.