2017 Camino Frances statistics

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

According to statistics gathered by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago in 2017 they received 301,006 pilgrims of which 180,726 (or 60%) were classed as having come by the Camino Frances.

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2017 301,006 180,726 60.04%
2016 277,854 176,075 63.37%
2015 265,447 172,225 65.62%
2014 237,882 162,010 68.11%
2013 215,879 151,818 70.33%
2012 192,458 134,984 70.14%
2011 183,378 132,700 72.36%
2010 272,417 189,306 69.49%
2009 147,467 114,090 77.37%
2008 125,758 99,148 78.84%
2007 114,466 92,191 80.54%
2006 101,149 82,950 82.01%
2005 93,929 79,416 84.55%
2004 179,891 138,658 77.08%

In 2017 there were 3.2 times the number of pilgrims registered as in 2004 2005 but only 2.3 times the traffic on the Frances in the same time frame.

[EDIT on January 11: @DowtyCamino has since hand copied the Pilgrim's Office data unto his own computer and has presented the data in a variety of charts and graphs. See the threadhttps://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/charts-and-graphs.52312/ ]

 

[Momonne]

Stats on departure points are also interesting:

• Sarria: 26,48% (79.713 peregrinos)
• Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: 11,02% (33.176)
• Oporto: 7,42% (22.333)
• Tui: 6,69% (20.133)
• León: 3,86% (11.614)
• Ferrol: 3,6% (10.822)
• Cebreiro: 3,36% (10.128)
• Oviedo: 2,63% (7.903)
• Ponferrada: 2,54% (7.656)
• Valença do Miño: 2,32% (6.976)

 

[Bradypus]

Maybe the tide is finally turning for poor old Camino Frances as such. Of course, the figures refer only to those who arrive in Santiago and request a Compostela.

Over the past year or so I've seen quite a few posts suggesting that people should walk the rest of the CF and stop in Sarria - missing out the last 100km altogether as it has become too overcrowded and commercialized. When that is proposed as a serious option then I think the understanding of what the Camino Frances is, and the notion of pilgrimage more generally, has already been badly dented.

 

[nycwalking]

Maybe folks could walk CF to Ponferrada then walk Invierno to Santiago.

 

[Sailor]

Thanks for the report, good to be one in those 301,006 !!! On to 2018, here we go! To all 2018 caminantes que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[jirit]

According to statistics gathered by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago in 2017 they received 301,006 pilgrims of which 180,726 (or 60%) were classed as having come by the Camino Frances.

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2017 301,006 180,726 60.04%
2016 277,854 176,075 63.37%
2015 265,447 172,225 65.62%
2014 237,882 162,010 68.11%
2013 215,879 151,818 70.33%
2012 192,458 134,984 70.14%
2011 183,378 132,700 72.36%
2010 272,417 189,306 69.49%
2009 147,467 114,090 77.37%
2008 125,758 99,148 78.84%
2007 114,466 92,191 80.54%
2006 101,149 82,950 82.01%
2005 93,929 79,416 84.55%
2004 179,891 138,658 77.08%

In 2017 there were 3.2 times the number of pilgrims registered as in 2004 but only 2.3 times the traffic on the Frances in the same time frame.

When you see the stats presented as such, shows that growth on the CF has slowed to a crawl in the past few years while growth in non CF routes are continues to expand at historical levels.

 

[andycohn]

Actually, traffic on the Frances outside the Sarria - SdC section has decreased for several years now. If we eliminate the pilgrims who started in Sarria, 101,020 pilgrims walking the Frances received compostelas in 2017. That was down from 2016, when the number was 104,309, and in turn, 2016 was down from 2015, when the number was, 104,817. In fact, 2017 was the least crowded year on the Frances -- excepting the Sarria - SdC section -- since 2013, when 99,755 pilgrims received compostelas starting from places other than Sarria.
Conversely, traffic on the Sarria - SdC section has exploded since 2013, going from 52,063 pilgrim receiving compostelas in 2013 to 79,717 in 2017, an increase of over 50% in only 4 years.

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

According to statistics gathered by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago in 2017 they received 301,006 pilgrims of which 180,726 (or 60%) were classed as having come by the Camino Frances.

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2017 301,006 180,726 60.04%
2016 277,854 176,075 63.37%
2015 265,447 172,225 65.62%
2014 237,882 162,010 68.11%
2013 215,879 151,818 70.33%
2012 192,458 134,984 70.14%
2011 183,378 132,700 72.36%
2010 272,417 189,306 69.49%
2009 147,467 114,090 77.37%
2008 125,758 99,148 78.84%
2007 114,466 92,191 80.54%
2006 101,149 82,950 82.01%
2005 93,929 79,416 84.55%
2004 179,891 138,658 77.08%

In 2017 there were 3.2 times the number of pilgrims registered as in 2004 but only 2.3 times the traffic on the Frances in the same time frame.

Although the movie "The Way" was released in 2010, it actually was not released in the United States until October 2011.. That was 2 weeks after I returned from my first camino. On that first camino in September 2011, I met only 14 other American pilgrims and 5 were from the same family. In the pilgrim statistics, Americans were grouped in "other." In May 2015, I walked my second camino - from St. Jean. On the first days I met more Americans than I did during the entire time in 2011!!!

 

[Momonne]

Although the movie "The Way" was released in 2010, it actually was not released in the United States until October 2011.. That was 2 weeks after I returned from my first camino. On that first camino in September 2011, I met only 14 other American pilgrims and 5 were from the same family. In the pilgrim statistics, Americans were grouped in "other." In May 2015, I walked my second camino - from St. Jean. On the first days I met more Americans than I did during the entire time in 2011!!!

The movie Jaws had the same effect on sharks.

 

[Bradypus]

Although the movie "The Way" was released in 2010, it actually was not released in the United States until October 2011.. That was 2 weeks after I returned from my first camino. On that first camino in September 2011, I met only 14 other American pilgrims and 5 were from the same family. In the pilgrim statistics, Americans were grouped in "other." In May 2015, I walked my second camino - from St. Jean. On the first days I met more Americans than I did during the entire time in 2011!!!

The Pilgrim Office statistics presentation may have been altered more recently. The USA is now shown as a distinct group in the figures for 2011: pilgrims from the USA made up 4% of the non-Spanish pilgrims recorded that year. No change from the 4% in 2010. I found it interesting to see a gradual increase from 2011 onwards until the figure stabilised at 10% for 2015, 2016 and 2017. Some of that increase is probably attributable to the influence of the movie but I think that the film's contribution in the massive growth in pilgrim numbers in recent years has been exaggerated. The trend towards ever increasing numbers was already very obvious well before the movie was released.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

According to statistics gathered by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago in 2017 they received 301,006 pilgrims of which 180,726 (or 60%) were classed as having come by the Camino Frances.

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2017 301,006 180,726 60.04%
2016 277,854 176,075 63.37%
2015 265,447 172,225 65.62%
2014 237,882 162,010 68.11%
2013 215,879 151,818 70.33%
2012 192,458 134,984 70.14%
2011 183,378 132,700 72.36%
2010 272,417 189,306 69.49%
2009 147,467 114,090 77.37%
2008 125,758 99,148 78.84%
2007 114,466 92,191 80.54%
2006 101,149 82,950 82.01%
2005 93,929 79,416 84.55%
2004 179,891 138,658 77.08%

In 2017 there were 3.2 times the number of pilgrims registered as in 2004 but only 2.3 times the traffic on the Frances in the same time frame.

I am not following your math. My calculations have 2018 at 1.68 times 2004 overall and 1.30 time’s on the Francés. Anyway you look at it, 301,006 is a lot of people- and that only includes the ones with credentials (I think)!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I am not following your math. My calculations have 2018 at 1.68 times 2004 overall and 1.30 time’s on the Francés.

Good catch. My math was using the 2005 numbers as being more typical than the 2004 numbers but then I typed in the wrong year. I'm going to edit my original post.

 

[Karl Oz]

I am not following your math. My calculations have 2018 at 1.68 times 2004 overall and 1.30 time’s on the Francés. Anyway you look at it, 301,006 is a lot of people- and that only includes the ones with credentials (I think)!

Yes, I arrived from Porto in September and didn't bother with a credencial, so you'd better bump up the numbers by one...

 

[snowwhite1962]

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2010 was a Holy Year.

 

[Fui]

According to statistics gathered by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago in 2017 they received 301,006 pilgrims of which 180,726 (or 60%) were classed as having come by the Camino Frances.

Here are the values gotten through use of their tool at https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/ (BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

2017 301,006 180,726 60.04%
2016 277,854 176,075 63.37%
2015 265,447 172,225 65.62%
2014 237,882 162,010 68.11%
2013 215,879 151,818 70.33%
2012 192,458 134,984 70.14%
2011 183,378 132,700 72.36%
2010 272,417 189,306 69.49%
2009 147,467 114,090 77.37%
2008 125,758 99,148 78.84%
2007 114,466 92,191 80.54%
2006 101,149 82,950 82.01%
2005 93,929 79,416 84.55%
2004 179,891 138,658 77.08%

In 2017 there were 3.2 times the number of pilgrims registered as in 2004 2005 but only 2.3 times the traffic on the Frances in the same time frame.

[EDIT on January 11: @DowtyCamino has since hand copied the Pilgrim's Office data unto his own computer and has presented the data in a variety of charts and graphs. See the threadhttps://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/charts-and-graphs.52312/ ]

Many people misunderstood that the 2010 statistics was becsuse of the movie. No, it was not. 2010 was the Holy year while a special gate in the Cathedral de Santiago was open to Pilgrims, for pardon. The next Holy year or Jubilee year is estimated in 2021 when July 25th, St.James day falls on a Sunday.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

(BTW, the movie "The Way" was released in 2010.)

The USA release was in October 2011 for a limited run, and November 2011 for what was a fairly short theatrical release in the U.S. It is not likely to have had an impact in 2010!!

 

[Oxford Alice]

I would be very interested to know how many of those who start in SJPP with the intention of continuously walking straight through to SdC actually do so. Is such a statistic available? I was really surprised to hear on the recent BBC programme, The Pilgrimage, that 40% of those who finish the Camino basically started in Sarria. Explains a lot!

 

[Stella1226]

I recently finished my Camino, starting in SJPP and ending in Santiago and was wondering if there was a way to figure out the percentage of pilgrims that actually finish. I have found stats on how many walked in 2017 and how many of those began in SJPP but I don’t know how to come up with an answer. Maybe some of the numerically gifted pilgrims on this forum can help??

 

[andywild]

I recently finished my Camino, starting in SJPP and ending in Santiago and was wondering if there was a way to figure out the percentage of pilgrims that actually finish. I have found stats on how many walked in 2017 and how many of those began in SJPP but I don’t know how to come up with an answer. Maybe some of the numerically gifted pilgrims on this forum can help??

And how many of them ended up running an albergue for the afternoon