Another record year on the Way of St James in sight

Unstoppable rise in pilgrim numbers: The Way of St James continues to gain traction and could break its own pilgrimage record for the fourth time in a row by the end of 2025. The number of pilgrims receiving their certificate in Santiago de Compostela could exceed half a million for the first time. Last year, 499,170 arrivals fell just short of this mark.

The half-year balance sheet of the pilgrims' office in Santiago, which has now been presented, shows 233,370 arrivals for the beginning of July. According to the surveys, this corresponds to an increase of nine per cent compared to the previous year. The particularly busy weeks of July and August are still to come. September and the first half of October are also popular, after which the influx levels off for climatic reasons. As always, the leading group of pilgrims are the Spaniards themselves, who make up 37 per cent of the total.

Accommodation bottlenecks

According to the statistics, more than 2,000 pilgrims a day are currently arriving in Santiago on the most relevant routes, the French and Portuguese Way. However, the mass movement also brings with it bottlenecks in accommodation and complaints from residents in the historic centre of Santiago about increasing noise pollution. The peace and quiet along the way, which many people long for, is no longer guaranteed.

The Way of St James to the tomb of St James the Apostle, which is venerated in Santiago, was already very popular in the Middle Ages. However, there are no figures on this. The rediscovery of the Way of St James began in the 1980s, at the instigation of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) and the Council of Europe. At that time, it began with just a few thousand pilgrims per year. (KNA)