Camino de Santiago Statistics 2024

Curious about Camino de Santiago statistics in 2024? You’re in the right place! Whether you’re dreaming of your first pilgrimage or planning another trek, understanding the data can offer valuable insights.

From the number of pilgrims to the most popular routes and where people come from, these stats can help you plan your own Camino journey.

Now that the full 2024 statistics are available from the Pilgrim’s Office, I’ve spent hours analyzing the data, comparing it to 2023, and translating it to English to pull together this article so it’s easily digestible for you.

As someone who hiked the Camino myself, I’ve also included my thoughts and experiences relating to these statistics throughout this post.

Let’s dive in!

Camino de Santiago Popularity in 2024

As more people have learned about the Camino, participation in the pilgrimage has continued to grow over the years since its inception centuries ago. In 2024, it reached an all-time high with a 12% increase in the number of pilgrims compared to 2023.

How many people walked the Camino de Santiago in 2024?

499,239 people completed the Camino de Santiago in 2024. Of those, 425,042 are recorded as having completing the Camino on foot.

What is the breakdown of pilgrims completing the Camino on foot, bike, horseback, boat, and wheelchair?

While the majority of pilgrims walk the Camino de Santiago, some complete the journey by bike, horseback, boat, and wheelchair. Here’s the breakdown for 2024:

• 425,042 on foot (5.15% increase from year prior)
• 20,776 by bike (9.22% decrease from year prior)
• 591 on horseback (2.48% decrease from year prior)
• 272 by boat (1.45% decrease from year prior)
• 270 via wheelchair (36.36% increase from year prior)

You’ll see that the amount of people completing the journey by each mode of transport remained relatively the same in 2024. That said, it’s interesting to see that wheelchair travel has increased quite significantly. I’m sure that is due to a rise in folks sharing more about Camino accessibility and helping others who want to travel via wheelchair.

When I hiked the Camino Francés, I mostly saw other hikers. However, I saw some bikers along the way too. I didn’t see anyone on horseback or in a wheelchair, and I wasn’t in the area where people travel by boat.

What is the motivation for pilgrims completing the Camino?

The majority of pilgrims claim to hike for religious or “religious and other” reasons. Here’s the breakdown in 2024:

• Religious: 215,974 pilgrims (16.81% increase from year prior)
• Religious and Others: 152,189 pilgrims (1.07% increase from year prior)
• Not Religious: 87,934 pilgrims (10.67% decrease from year prior)

In my personal experience, many folks hiking weren’t necessarily Catholic but were undertaking the Camino for some sort of spiritual reason, whether religious or not. For me, I had many reasons for hiking the Camino. I primarily decided to do it to heal from the end to my engagement and figure out what I wanted next in life.

Don’t worry if you aren’t hiking for religious or spiritual reasons though. You certainly won’t be alone!

This is just my speculation, but I have a feeling these statistics are slightly inflated too. Historically there used to be two different Compostela certificates you could get for finishing the Camino and the more “official” one was the religious one.

There are no longer two Compostela certificates, but I think many people still worry about it and tell the office that they completed for religious reasons. I know I myself did.

Camino de Santiago Routes, Starting Points, and Timing in 2024

With so many different Camino de Santiago routes and a plethora of potential starting points, it’s always interesting to see where the stats net out here.

Which Camino route was the most popular?

The Camino Francés (French Way) has been the most popular Camino route since the 11th century and remains so to this day.

Each of the most popular routes saw an increase in pilgrims in 2024. Most notably, the Camino Portugués Coastal Route saw an over 40% increase in popularity compared to the year prior.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular routes:

• Camino Francés (French Way): 236,378 pilgrims (7.54% increase from year prior)
• Camino Portugués (Portuguese Way): 95,453 pilgrims (7.58% increase from year prior)
• Camino Portugués Coastal (Portuguese Camino Coastal Route): 74,758 pilgrims (41.71% increase from year prior)
• Camino Inglés (English Way): 28,058 pilgrims (16.40% increase from year prior)
• Camino Primitivo (Primitive Way or Original Way): 24,463 pilgrims (18.10% increase from year prior)
• Camino del Norte (Northern Way): 21,417 pilgrims (4.06% increase from year prior)
• Vía de la Plata (Silver Way): 9,028 pilgrims (13.35% increase from year prior)

Each Camino route has its own charm. I hiked the Camino Francés because its popularity makes it an easy route to meet others and navigate logistically since there are many places to stop and stay along the way.

The full Francés route takes about a month to complete though, so I see why the Camino Portugués has become such a popular option as most people hike it over about two weeks.

Personally, I’m hoping to hike the Camino Portugués or Camino del Norte next.

Which Camino route was the least popular?

Of the most popular routes, Vía de la Plata had the fewest number of pilgrims. However, there are a number of other lesser-known Camino de Santiago routes with even fewer pilgrims. Of all the Camino routes, the San Rosendo route was the least popular with only 6 pilgrims completing it in 2024.

The San Rosendo route runs from Braga to Ourense until joining the Vía de la Plata.

When I did my Camino, I met someone who was hiking the Vía de la Plata, and it sounded quite challenging. He told me that accommodations along the route were sparse at times, meaning he had to walk really long or really short days. Plus, southern Spain is notoriously hot, so I can’t imagine hiking through there, especially in summer.

Where did pilgrims start the Camino de Santiago?

There are numerous places to start the Camino de Santiago. In 2024, pilgrims started their Caminos at over 200 different locations!

Starting points are primarily in Spain, Portugal, and France. However, some pilgrims start their treks as far away as Germany (374 pilgrims), Belgium (282 pilgrims), Italy (205 pilgrims), and other countries.

The following were the most popular starting points for the Camino de Santiago in 2024:

• Sarria, Spain: 151,091 pilgrims (15.22% increase from year prior)
• Porto, Portugal: 49,715 pilgrims (7.42% increase from year prior)
• Tui, Spain: 36,576 pilgrims (11.31% increase from year prior)
• Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France: 32,576 pilgrims (2.85% increase from year prior)
• Ferrol, Spain: 26,780 pilgrims (16.62% increase from year prior)

Many people start the Camino wherever they can with the time they have. The length of your Camino is really up to you, which is partly why there are so many starting points.

Some people will also hike the Camino in sections. I even met a man from Madrid who originally started at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port but only had one week timeframes to hike. He would hike as much as he could in one week, go home, and then return again another time, picking up where he left off.

I personally started my Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to hike the full length of the Camino Francés. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a charming town at the foot of the Pyrenees. It’s not too hard to get to, and it’s a nice place to spend a day or two before the Camino.

What is the busiest month on the Camino?

May was the busiest month on the Camino in 2024. It was the third most popular month in 2023, but the number of pilgrims hiking in May in 2024 jumped by over 9,000.

June and March saw large increases in pilgrims as well. March notably saw almost a doubling in pilgrims. I suspect this is because as the Camino gets more popular, people are looking to quieter months to avoid crowds.

Here’s a breakdown of the number of pilgrims by month in 2024:

• May: 69,572 pilgrims (15.31% increase from year prior)
• August: 68,629 pilgrims (1.22% decrease from year prior)
• September: 65,905 pilgrims (.04% decrease from year prior)
• June: 63,445 pilgrims (10.26% increase from year prior)
• July: 58,299 pilgrims (2.12% decrease from year prior)
• October: 48,693 pilgrims (4.12% decrease from year prior)
• April: 40,944 pilgrims (0.30% increase from year prior)
• March: 22,163 pilgrims (92.77% increase from year prior)
• November: 10,330 pilgrims (7.04% increase from year prior)
• December: 3,033 pilgrims (10.93% decrease from year prior)
• February: 2,959 pilgrims (2.96% increase from year prior)
• January: 2,125 pilgrims (4.68% increase from year prior)

When looking at specific routes, May remained the most popular for the majority of them. August was the most popular month for the Camino Inglés and Camino Primitivo. July was the most popular for the Camino del Norte and other Caminos.

If you’re thinking about when to hike the Camino, definitely keep these numbers in mind. The more crowded a month, the harder it may potentially be to find accommodation.

I personally hiked in June and felt like it provided the perfect balance of plenty of people on the trail without being too crowded and ideal weather for the Camino Francés.

Camino de Santiago Statistics in 2024 by Country

The beauty of the Camino is that it attracts pilgrims of all nationalities. Pilgrims in 2024 came from almost 200 different countries and territories!

When I hiked the Camino Francés in June of 2023, I met people from all over the world. Some of my favorite Camino friends were from Germany, Australia, Sweden, Italy, and the U.S.

What was the most common nationality of pilgrims who completed the Camino?

208,378 pilgrims who completed the Camino in 2024 were from Spain. That’s 42% of all pilgrims.

Among them, most come from Spain’s autonomous communities of Andalucía (49,172), Madrid (35,408), Valencía (26,007), Cataluña (19,952), Castilla la Mancha (12,027), and Galicia (11,965).

When I hiked, I didn’t meet too many Spaniards, but the ones I did meet were from Andalucía and Madrid, so these stats track with my own experience.

How many Americans completed the Camino de Santiago?

After Spain, the United States had the most pilgrims who completed the Camino de Santiago in 2024. 38,052 Americans completed the trek, 18.65% more than the year prior.

What other nationalities participated in the Camino de Santiago?

After Spain and the U.S., here are some of the main countries where pilgrims came from in 2024:

• Italy: 28,599 pilgrims (0.18% decrease from year prior)
• Germany: 23,462 pilgrims (2.65% decrease from year prior)
• Portugal: 21,935 pilgrims (5.97% increase from year prior)
• United Kingdom: 13,095 pilgrims (24.50% increase from year prior)
• France: 10,243 pilgrims (3.53% decrease from year prior)
• Ireland: 10,212 pilgrims (46.89% increase from year prior)
• Mexico: 9,481 pilgrims (14.53% increase from year prior)
• South Korea: 7,910 pilgrims (4.59% increase from year prior)
• Canada: 7,767 pilgrims (15.48% increase from year prior)
• Australia: 7,671 pilgrims (12.56% increase from year prior)
• Poland: 7,478 pilgrims (35.32% increase from year prior)
• Brazil: 7,093 pilgrims (13.47% increase from year prior)
• Netherlands: 6,353 pilgrims (7.93% increase from year prior)
• Czechia: 5,162 pilgrims (6.98% increase from year prior)
• Argentina: 4,807 pilgrims (5.37% increase from year prior)

The Camino continues to grow around the world. Most notably, pilgrims from China more than doubled in 2024. Taiwan, Ireland, and Poland saw large increases in the number of pilgrims as well.

Camino de Santiago Pilgrim Demographics in 2024

In addition to coming from all over the world, Camino pilgrims are incredibly diverse.

In my experience, I found myself making friends with all kinds of people of various ages and backgrounds, many of whom I wouldn’t necessarily meet and befriend in my typical life.

What was the average age of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago?

Most pilgrims are between the ages of 18 and 65. This is definitely a broad range, but the Pilgrim’s Office doesn’t keep very granular data on ages unfortunately.

Here’s the breakdown in pilgrim ages in 2024:

• 184,904 between 46 and 65 (4.15% increase from year prior)
• 179,255 between 18 and 45 (4.37% increase from year prior)
• 53,753 older than 65 (11.66% increase from year prior)
• 38,185 younger than 18 (4.73% increase from year prior)

In my experience in 2023, there seemed to be a lot of folks in their late 20s or in their 30s and then around retirement age in their 60s or so.

How many women vs. men completed the Camino de Santiago?

Women made up 53.86% of pilgrims who completed the Camino in 2024. 245,676 women (6.65% increase from year prior) and 210,421 men (3.37% increase from year prior) did the Camino.

As a woman, I find it encouraging to see so many other women completing the Camino. When I was hiking solo, it definitely helped me feel safer.

Methodology

I pulled all 2024 and 2023 data for this piece from the official Camino Pilgrim’s Office website. I input the data into my own spreadsheet and translated everything myself using my years of learning Spanish.

The Pilgrim’s Office collects this data when pilgrims finish the Camino and collect their Compostela certificate, where they show their passport with stamps as evidence of where they’ve been. This means that these statistics do not capture anyone who did not pick up a Compostela–either folks who had to end their Caminos early or folks who didn’t care to get the certificate.

You can download the full data I was working with here:

Firsthand Experience on the Camino

Reviewing these Camino de Santiago statistics for 2024 can be helpful in understanding what the experience is like. However, numbers can only tell us so much. It can be helpful to hear about real experiences others have had on the Camino.

For my firsthand experience, check out my post on what each day was like for me on the Camino.