The Camino de Santiago is set to see a record-breaking number of pilgrims this year, <a href="https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics-2/">according</a> to the pilgrimage office <em>Oficina de Acogida al Peregrino</em>.
The number of pilgrims expected to complete the pilgrimage in 2025 is estimated at 570,000, a 14 per cent increase on the 499,242 who completed it in 2024. The 2024 total was already a record, representing a 12 per cent rise on the previous year. In 2000, just 55,004 pilgrims completed the Camino, meaning that if 2025’s figure reaches 570,000, more than ten times as many pilgrims will have walked the route as did 25 years ago.
Numbers tend to increase during an <em>Año Santo Compostelano</em> (Holy Year of Compostela), which occurs when the feast of St James falls on a Sunday. In 2010, the last Holy Year before the pandemic, 272,703 pilgrims completed the Camino—an 86.94 per cent increase on the previous year.
Although 2025 is not an <em>Año Santo Compostelano</em>, the surge in pilgrim numbers is thought to be partly due to the Jubilee Year inaugurated by Pope Francis on 24 December 2024. With 35 million expected to visit the Eternal City, many pilgrims are believed to be combining their visit to Rome with a pilgrimage through northern Spain.
Spain remains the most represented country along the route, with 43.91 per cent of 2024’s pilgrims coming from the Camino’s native land. The United States was second, with 39,849 pilgrims (7.98 per cent), and the United Kingdom ranked sixth, with 13,521.
The Camino Francés (French Way), which stretches across northern Spain from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela, remains the most popular route, comprising almost half of all journeys so far in 2025. The Camino Portugués (Portuguese Way), starting at various points in Portugal including Lisbon, Porto, and Tui, ranked second. The Caminho da Costa (Portuguese Coastal Way), which runs along the Atlantic coast from Porto to Santiago, was third. The Camino Inglés, a shorter route traditionally used by pilgrims arriving by ship from England and typically starting from Ferrol, remains popular as the fourth most travelled path.
The increase comes amid a broader surge in interest in religious pilgrimage. The rector of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal reported a 26.5 per cent rise in visitors between January and April 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. In France, the traditionalist pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres drew its largest-ever number of pilgrims in 2025. When Pope Francis visited Timor-Leste in September 2024, nearly half the population turned out to greet him.
Outside Christianity, the Taoist Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage in Taiwan saw a record number of participants in 2024. A record-breaking 13.5 million Muslims performed the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca that same year. In Hinduism, the 2019 Ardh Kumbh Mela attracted 120 million people, 20 million more than the 2013 Maha Kumbh Mela. The 2025 Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, is believed to have drawn as many as 660 million participants over the 45-day event.
The increase comes as Spain and Portugal <a href="https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/spain-and-portugal-roll-out-strategic-over-two-million-euro-camino-vertical-project-to-reawaken-historic-pilgrimage-paths-and-drive-regional-tourism-growth/">announce</a> the Camino Vertical initiative. More than two million euros in financing will be invested to restore and enhance the lesser-known southern and western routes of the Camino de Santiago.
