With global travel including the Camino de Santiago thrown into turmoil by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 saw the fewest pilgrims on record (for the period 2004-2020) and an 84.5% decrease from the peak of 2019.
That eye-opening decrease is the most notable detail of the following analysis, which uses pilgrim statistics published by the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. These statistics only include pilgrims who received compostelas in Santiago, so that caveat should be kept in mind when considering the numbers in this article.
At the time of the publication of this post, the statistical report for the entire year of 2020 was not yet available, but reports for each month were available, allowing for compilation of numbers and subsequent analysis.
2020 saw the fewest pilgrims embark on the Camino de Santiago since statistics were first published in 2004.
As the 2021 Holy Year begins, here are three takeaways from the 2020 statistics:
Pilgrim Numbers Decrease by Nearly 85%
Only 53,905 pilgrims received compostelas in 2020, easily the lowest number among the years for which statistics are available (2004-2020). The 2020 figure represents an 84.5% decrease from 2019 (347,578 pilgrims, the most ever), and is 42.6% lower than 2005 (93,924 pilgrims), which had the previous lowest number of pilgrims within the data set.
The busiest month in 2020 by far was August, with 19,812 pilgrims receiving compostelas. In 2019, by contrast, the seven months from April to October all saw at least 30,000 pilgrims receive compostelas. August, the busiest month in 2019, saw 62,814 compostelas issued, more by itself than all of 2020.
There were few other visitors when I saw the tomb of the apostle in the cathedral in Santiago in October 2020.
Spain Reclaims the Camino
Since the 2010 Holy Year, Spanish pilgrims had declined as a percentage of overall pilgrims every year except 2018, when there was a statistically insignificant rise. By 2019, only 42.1% of pilgrims were Spanish, the lowest on record.
As international tourism virtually collapsed in 2020, however, fewer international visitors embarked on the camino and Spaniards had to look to domestic options for holidays and recreation. The result was that the percentage of Spaniards on the camino in 2020 (68.6%) was the third highest in the last 17 years, trailing only the Holy Years of 2004 (76.2%) and 2010 (69.1%).
Looking just at the statistics after Spain emerged from lockdown following the first wave of the virus (June-December 2020), the percentage of Spanish pilgrims rose even higher to 72.9% of all pilgrims, more than the 2010 Holy Year but still lower than the 2004 Holy Year.
According to pilgrim office statistics, the percentage of Spanish pilgrims was higher in 2020 than in any year since 2010.
Route Diversification Continues
The Camino Francés is the most popular of all camino routes but this popularity has waned over the years. In the 2004-2019 period, 2005 saw the peak of the Francés’ popularity with 84.5% of all pilgrims choosing the route. As other routes developed, however, the popularity of the Francés decreased over time, including every year from 2013-2019 to a low of 54.7% in 2019.
After the pandemic began, with many albergues closed and a lot of uncertainty surrounding the camino, it may have been expected that pilgrims would seek the familiar comforts and unrivalled infrastructure of the Camino Francés, where more pilgrim services would likely be available.
However, the trend of diversification of camino routes continued as only 53.4% of pilgrims who received compostelas in 2020 travelled on the Camino Francés, a new all-time low. Looking at just the post-pandemic period (June-December), that percentage decreased slightly to 53.2%.
And with two consecutive Holy Years now upon us, pilgrims may continue to seek more off-the-beaten path routes in their search for solitude and beds.
The Gothic cathedral in Burgos, one of the most famous sites on the Camino Francés.
To discover how the pandemic has affected the camino experience, read our account of walking the Portuguese Way in September and October 2020.
Well done, Nick! Thanks for this summary of pilgrim statistics from year the Camino stood still. We will patiently wait for the safe reopening of the Camino. I always like reading the annual stats and will share this in my blog.
Ultreia!
Laurie
Thank you Laurie and buen camino!
Hi, Laurie, Nick, and all–Thanks for this. Not surprising…and with the comments from Arthur, I wonder if the powers that be at the Cathedral in Santiago have said anything about extending or postponing the 2021 Holy Year. I wonder, too, if the Pope needs to be involved in that decision. Just curious about this. I confess to not having done any research before typing this. XOXOX Esther
Hi Esther, the Pope has indeed extended Holy Year to cover 2022 as well!
Having walked the Camino Frances in 2010 alone at age 70, I was delighted to receive this update (through Laurie Ferris of Bay Area, California) You might come across my Camino book “Grandma’s on the Camino.”
I think the article fails to mention or take into account that many people were from countries that were not alloed to enter Spain, making it impossible to walk the Camino in 2020.
Thanks for reading and commenting Nancy. You’re right that I did not specifically mention entry restrictions into Spain as I thought this was implied. My intention in this article was not to discuss in detail why there were fewer pilgrims, as this is well covered elsewhere, but to use the numbers to put the impact of the pandemic in context. Buen camino!
Most Australians have been barred from International travel since late March of 2020 and this restriction still applies! When completing my Camino in 2019 one enjoyable aspect was the cosmopolitan international community. While it is so very disappointing that 1000’s have not had the chance in 2020. I believe the Spanish people reclaiming the Camino for themselves, may well invoke more of a reconnection of the Spiritual and the historical journey of hundreds of years past and moving away from it’s very evident 21st century economic ‘cash-cow’ status.
I feel very blessed to have been a pilgrim on my own journey with the tens of thousands in the year of 2019 and I pray for safe journey for those future pilgrims.
Buen Camino
Hi Scott, thanks for reading and commenting. I had to cancel a trip home to Australia myself in March 2020 and my parents had to cancel their 50th wedding anniversary trip to North America in October, so I definitely sympathise with Australians living under the travel ban. The camino has evolved and endured over centuries and will continue to do so through and after the pandemic. Like you, I also have a greater appreciation for being able to walk past caminos (especially squeezing in a Portuguese camino during a period when the virus was between waves and relatively calm), given that it’s not possible at the moment. Buen camino whenever you’re able to return to the trail!
I love the article! Maybe next time I can help you with the statics 🙂
https://www.diegoromero.es/camino/estadisticas-camino/