If you want pure speculation from someone grossly unqualified to answer your question, then the answer is 100% yes!
As you can see from my expertly crafted table below, applications increased for a few years after the last global financial meltdown.
Year
Applicants
Applications
2008-2009
6392
22985
2009-2010
6357
23167
2010-2011
7310
26697
2011-2012
7748
28483
2012-2013
7801
28816
2013-2014
7425
28639
2014-2015
6829
25982
2015-2016
6705
24812
2016-2017
6705
24356
2017-2018
6666
24358