Crossing Borders, Finding Futures: Inside Erasmus+ Mobility
Discover where and how Europeans gain skills abroad
From a small student exchange programme Erasmus (1987–2014) to a continent-wide learning movement under Erasmus+ (2014–today) – how has the initiative evolved over the last 40 years?
From its beginnings in 1987 as a small exchange scheme for just 3 200 university students, Erasmus has grown into one of the EU’s best-known initiatives, and one of its biggest. In 2024 alone, more than 1.4 million people took part in learning, training or youth exchanges abroad.
Last November, the programme entered a new chapter: the European Commission proposed to extend Erasmus+ to 2034 with a significantly larger budget. The goal? To make learning mobility even more accessible and impactful. By enabling people to study, train and work in another country, Erasmus+ not only builds skills and strengthens cooperation, but it also fosters a shared European identity.
This data story shows how open data offers a unique insight into this transformation, revealing who participates, where they go and what they do abroad.
Who participates in Erasmus+ mobility programmes?
Participation in Erasmus+ has expanded dramatically over the past decade. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of annual participants grew from 259 000 to 1 444 000. Since the beginning of the Erasmus+ programme, the only major dip in participants came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when numbers fell to 367 000 participants in 2020. After that, participation rebounded quickly, reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and surpassing them since 2023.
Women consistently make up the largest share of participants. In 2014 around 60 % of participants were female, and just over 40 % were male participants. This gender gap has remained remarkably stable across the years, echoing wider trends in European higher (tertiary) education where 58 % of graduates are women. Since 2020, a new category – participants identifying as ‘other’ – has been recorded. It grew from 0 % before 2020 to 9 % in 2024.
Figure 1: Erasmus+ Participants per Gender (2014-2024)
Source: European Commission
Where do people go – and where do they come from?
While gender differences are remarkable, they are just one part of the broader picture. To truly understand Erasmus+, we need to look beyond who participates and explore where they go. The geography of mobility – the countries people travel to and from – highlights the strongest links in the programme.
At the heart of Erasmus+ lies mobility: the freedom to learn and teach across borders. Open data from 2024 reveals a dense web of exchanges connecting nearly every European country.
The largest numbers of Erasmus+ participants between 2014 and 2024 (inbound and outbound) are found in Spain (2.23 million), Italy (1.81 million), Germany (1.78 million) and France (1.65 million). Yet flows are far from one-sided. While some countries such as Germany, France, Poland and Romania receive more programme members than they send, other countries such as Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus send more people abroad than they host.
Mobility patterns also reveal how concentrated exchange destinations can be. For instance, 56 % of Irish participants go to just three destinations – France, Germany and Italy – while nearly half of Luxembourgish participants go to neighbouring countries. Conversely, other countries such as the Baltic states, Czechia, Slovenia and Croatia attract participants from a wide mix of countries, with the share of the largest three countries of origin accounting for less than 30 % of the total of Erasmus+ beneficiaries coming to Lithuania or Croatia.
Figure 2: Erasmus+ Mobility Flows (2014-2024)
Source: European Commission
What do Erasmus+ participants do abroad?
Back in 2014, Erasmus+ was still very much a university-focused programme. Higher education exchanges dominated the landscape, giving students the chance to spend a semester or a full academic year abroad – the classic Erasmus experience.
From 2015 onward, the picture began to change. While higher education remained the largest activity, other forms of mobility started to grow. School education, which includes pupils going on short exchanges and teachers taking part in training or job shadowing, gained momentum. Youth exchanges also expanded, offering informal projects where young people could collaborate across borders and build cultural and social skills. Vocational education and training placements followed a similar upward trend, enabling apprentices to gain hands-on experience in workplaces abroad. Together, these additions marked the start of a more diverse programme.
Sport also joined the mix in 2023, albeit on a small scale, adding yet another dimension to Erasmus+.
Figure 3: Erasmus+ Participants: Distribution per field (2014-2024)
Source: European Commission / European Data Portal
Today, Erasmus+ is no longer just about university students. It connects people across many learning paths – from pupils and teachers to young people, apprentices and adult learners. This evolution reflects a clear shift: Erasmus+ has grown from a higher-education initiative into a truly lifelong learning programme, weaving together opportunities that build skills, foster intercultural understanding and strengthen Europe’s educational fabric.
Conclusion
Nearly 40 years after its launch, Erasmus+ has grown from a university exchange scheme into one of Europe’s most inclusive learning programmes. Participation has surged to over 1.4 million people a year, with women consistently in the majority.
Mobility spans the continent, linking countries through strong corridors of exchange with distinctive patterns, from hubs like Spain, Italy, Germany and France to smaller states.
Finally, the scope of activities has widened dramatically: alongside higher education, school exchanges, youth projects, vocational training and sport now form part of the mix.
These shifts underline a clear trend: Erasmus+ is no longer a niche initiative but a cornerstone of European cooperation, connecting learners across countries, sectors and backgrounds. By making these patterns visible, open data helps us understand not only how far the programme has come, but how it can keep shaping Europe’s future.