2019 Statistics

[ELHS220]

http://oficinadelperegrino.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peregrinaciones2019.pdf

 

[MisterH]

Is there a version in english?

 

[jgiesbrecht]

Is there a version in english?

Google Translate

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Google Translate

It doesn't work well on PDF downloads for me, though, so I'm glad you gave a link to what you did for the translation..

 

[Dani7]

Very similar to last year’s numbers except this time Canadians Made it to the pie chart for nationalities. Yay We didn’t last year.

 

[MisterH]

Google Translate

English?, Google did some translations but it helps. I could figure out many of the entires, but I didn't expect a "candel" being used for transportation.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Is there any country in the world not represented on this list? it's mind-blowing!

 

[Pelegrin]

Is there any country in the world not represented on this list? it's mind-blowing!

I didn't find Somalia and Burundi

 

[Aurigny]

Nobody from Niger (there wasn't last year, either), and only two from Burkina Faso. Significantly more Britons this year than last, but the big five are always the same: Spain, Italy, Germany, the U.S. and Portugal.

The picture's almost unchanged for the non-Francés routes, with a few exceptions. The Invierno, to which I made a one-man contribution to the numbers this summer, got a nice bump of around 40% over the previous year, and is now above 1,000 finishers for the first time. The two main Portuguese routes also showed significant growth: this year's hands-down winner across all categories is the Coastal, which posted numbers better than 50% higher than in 2018. I imagine that its existing infrastructure is now approaching saturation-point. The Norte, VdlP and Primitivo are virtually unchanged: a relief for those on the latter, which is drawing twice as many pilgrims as it did just a very few years ago. Some modest growth for the Inglés, and among the comparative handful who go on to Fisterra or Muxia. And a respectable bounce for the also-rans (Mozárabe, CPI, etc.). There's no breakdown for those, but I'd guess the recent improvements along the Olvidado might account for a good proportion of the increase.

As for the Francés itself, the number of through-pilgrims beginning at SJPP remains constant at 33,000-odd. The Roncesvalles-starters were down about 10%; likewise those beginning at Pamplona. There must also have been a significant drop-off of at least that much at Burgos. It seems, then, that for most of the way, the crowds were actually a little less densely-packed until Sarria, whose numbers grew by almost a tenth. This is reassuring for those doing the whole thing. The last 100 km is always a zoo; now it's just a little more zoo-like. For the rest, the population has levelled out. At least until the Holy Year, when all these patterns will no doubt be turned on their head.

 

[Bradypus]

Is there any country in the world not represented on this list? it's mind-blowing!

There are a few missing - according to a local newspaper at the end of December there had been walkers from 179 countries and there are 193 recognised by the UN. Still a pretty good score though

 

[Kiernan]

English?, Google did some translations but it helps. I could figure out many of the entires, but I didn't expect a "candel" being used for transportation.

Just in case I don't get the irony , in this context, "vela" is for Sailing

 

[Camineiro]

@Kiernan: There‘s no irony. You can do the camino by sailing boat.
Check your pilgrim‘s passport (Credencial). You‘ll find the appropriate symbol ️ for it.

 

[Stivandrer]

@Kiernan: There‘s no irony. You can do the camino by sailing boat.
Check your pilgrim‘s passport (Credencial). You‘ll find the appropriate symbol for it.

A boatfull of Irish pilgrims sailed close to Santiago ( from home) and I think even brought their curragh into to city itself...

 

[happymarkos]

http://oficinadelperegrino.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peregrinaciones2019.pdf

Thank you.
I wonder if it's possible to have data on the numbers leaving SJPDP compared to the numbers who arrive in Santiago?
There has been some commentary that over 50% drop out although hard to know how to obtain accurate information.
I know not everyone leaves from the pilgrims office in St JPDP however it' a starting point.

Thoughts please?
Thanks

Mark

 

[Bradypus]

I wonder if it's possible to have data on the numbers leaving SJPDP compared to the numbers who arrive in Santiago?

I was discussing this with someone yesterday. Very hard to estimate drop-out rates because there is no real way of recording how many people set off. Or indeed who arrive but do not receive a Compostela. You do not have to register anywhere. I found one set of figures for comparison though. In 2018 the pilgrim office in SJPDP recorded 57,881 pilgrims departing from there while the Santiago office issued 32,899 Compostelas to people who gave SJPDP as their departure point. A significant difference between the two figures.

 

[Glamgrrl]

A boatfull of Irish pilgrims sailed close to Santiago and I think even brought their curragh into to city itself...

There’s a wonderful movie about these men, who actually paddled the curragh and we’re invited to bring the oars into the Cathedral.

 

[Kathor1]

There has been some commentary that over 50% drop out although hard to know how to obtain accurate information.

Jean-Louis Aspirot from the SJPP Pilgrims Office said in their FB group some time ago that only 25% of the pilgrims don't reach Compostela and that this figure hasn't changed over the years. No explanation how they arrive at that figure, though. Here are some thoughts:

• During 2019, about 61,000 pilgrims were registered in SJPP, compared to about 58,000 for the previous year. So let's say 60,000.
• In Santiago, for 2019, they registered 33,000 with starting point SJPP, 3,200 started in Le Puy and 2,600 started in "resto".
• Let's assume that the pilgrims with starting point "resto" came from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland and they all passed through SJPP, so that would be a total of some 40,000 pilgrims who had passed through SJPP and arrived in Santiago.
• So that leaves some 20,000 (60,000-40,000) who had started in or passed through SJPP but did not arrive in Santiago.

Now it gets a bit complicated : we cannot explain this deficit by the sections walkers because even if people walk only 2 weeks per year, there was a continuous stream of sections walkers along the CF in 2019, ie the ones from 2019, 2018, and 2017 (assuming it takes 6 weeks over 3 years to reach Santiago).

So who makes up the deficit? Walkers who arrive in Compostela but don't set foot into the Pilgrims Office there? Walkers who were forced to abandon their aim of reaching Compostela? Section walkers who never had the opportunity or even the intention of ever reaching Compostela?

I personally know six people who at one time spent the night at SJPP and then walked several sections and that was already several years ago. Four have the intention of maybe one day continuing towards SdC but not in the near future, one enjoyed it but would rather walk in other parts of the world and one had done Burgos-SdC previously and may or may not finish SJPP-Burgos one day. I don't know how representative they are or whether they were even registered at the SJPP Pilgrim's Office ...

 

[MisterH]

Jean-Louis Aspirot from the SJPP Pilgrims Office said in their FB group some time ago that only 25% of the pilgrims don't reach Compostela and that this figure hasn't changed over the years. No explanation how they arrive at that figure, though. Here are some thoughts:

• During 2019, about 61,000 pilgrims were registered in SJPP, compared to about 58,000 for the previous year. So let's say 60,000.
• In Santiago, for 2019, they registered 33,000 with starting point SJPP, 3,200 started in Le Puy and 2,600 started in "resto".
• Let's assume that the pilgrims with starting point "resto" came from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland and they all passed through SJPP, so that would be a total of some 40,000 pilgrims who had passed through SJPP and arrived in Santiago.
• So that leaves some 20,000 (60,000-40,000) who had started in or passed through SJPP but did not arrive in Santiago.

Now it gets a bit complicated : we cannot explain this deficit by the sections walkers because even if people walk only 2 weeks per year, there was a continuous stream of sections walkers along the CF in 2019, ie the ones from 2019, 2018, and 2017 (assuming it takes 6 weeks over 3 years to reach Santiago).

So who makes up the deficit? Walkers who arrive in Compostela but don't set foot into the Pilgrims Office there? Walkers who were forced to abandon their aim of reaching Compostela? Section walkers who never had the opportunity or even the intention of ever reaching Compostela?

I personally know six people who at one time spent the night at SJPP and then walked several sections and that was already several years ago. Four have the intention of maybe one day continuing towards SdC but not in the near future, one enjoyed it but would rather walk in other parts of the world and one had done Burgos-SdC previously and may or may not finish SJPP-Burgos one day. I don't know how representative they are or whether they were even registered at the SJPP Pilgrim's Office ...

On my first attempt, I had a serious problem at home and had to quit in Pamploma.

 

[Wild Irish]

A boatfull of Irish pilgrims sailed close to Santiago ( from home) and I think even brought their curragh into to city itself...

 

[Kiernan]

@Kiernan: There‘s no irony. You can do the camino by sailing boat.
Check your pilgrim‘s passport (Credencial). You‘ll find the appropriate symbol for it.

I know, I know. I thought @MisterH was beeing ironic.
Sorry for the misunderstanding

 

[Kathor1]

I know, I know. I thought @MisterH was beeing ironic. Sorry for the misunderstanding

Not so much a misunderstanding as perhaps an attempt to make a joke that not everyone got. @MisterH made a reference to Google Translate and to "candel" as "being used for transportation". One has to know how to use automatic translation. In translation, context matters. Even a machine like Google Translate is clever enough to know this.

Put just vela into Google Translate and it may give you candle because that's one meaning of the Spanish word in English. Put pie, bicicleta, vela, caballo, silla de ruedas into Google Translate and it will give you foot, bicycle, sail, horse, wheelchair - the five means of travel that are listed in the Oficina's monthly and yearly statistics as they qualify for a Compostela.

 

[Jakobsvejen.dk]

Jean-Louis Aspirot from the SJPP Pilgrims Office said in their FB group some time ago that only 25% of the pilgrims don't reach Compostela and that this figure hasn't changed over the years. No explanation how they arrive at that figure, though. Here are some thoughts:

• During 2019, about 61,000 pilgrims were registered in SJPP, compared to about 58,000 for the previous year. So let's say 60,000.
• In Santiago, for 2019, they registered 33,000 with starting point SJPP, 3,200 started in Le Puy and 2,600 started in "resto".
• Let's assume that the pilgrims with starting point "resto" came from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland and they all passed through SJPP, so that would be a total of some 40,000 pilgrims who had passed through SJPP and arrived in Santiago.
• So that leaves some 20,000 (60,000-40,000) who had started in or passed through SJPP but did not arrive in Santiago.

Now it gets a bit complicated : we cannot explain this deficit by the sections walkers because even if people walk only 2 weeks per year, there was a continuous stream of sections walkers along the CF in 2019, ie the ones from 2019, 2018, and 2017 (assuming it takes 6 weeks over 3 years to reach Santiago).

So who makes up the deficit? Walkers who arrive in Compostela but don't set foot into the Pilgrims Office there? Walkers who were forced to abandon their aim of reaching Compostela? Section walkers who never had the opportunity or even the intention of ever reaching Compostela?

I personally know six people who at one time spent the night at SJPP and then walked several sections and that was already several years ago. Four have the intention of maybe one day continuing towards SdC but not in the near future, one enjoyed it but would rather walk in other parts of the world and one had done Burgos-SdC previously and may or may not finish SJPP-Burgos one day. I don't know how representative they are or whether they were even registered at the SJPP Pilgrim's Office ...

Dear Katharine;
Maybe I can give you an explanation. I have gone on countless pilgrimages in Europe. And many of them in Spain and France. On my pilgrimages in France, I have met many French pilgrims who ended their pilgrimage in Saint Jean Pied de Port (Roncevaux/Roncesvalles), some who finished in the Somport Pass, and again others who had Lourdes as their final destination.
Pax et Bonum
Poul Erik

 

[André Walker]

Is there a version in english?

Yes, there is. Although it only containes the data from the pilgrim's office (since 2004) and the graphics:

 

[Donjek]

Jean-Louis Aspirot from the SJPP Pilgrims Office said in their FB group some time ago that only 25% of the pilgrims don't reach Compostela and that this figure hasn't changed over the years. No explanation how they arrive at that figure, though. Here are some thoughts:

• During 2019, about 61,000 pilgrims were registered in SJPP, compared to about 58,000 for the previous year. So let's say 60,000.
• In Santiago, for 2019, they registered 33,000 with starting point SJPP, 3,200 started in Le Puy and 2,600 started in "resto".
• Let's assume that the pilgrims with starting point "resto" came from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland and they all passed through SJPP, so that would be a total of some 40,000 pilgrims who had passed through SJPP and arrived in Santiago.
• So that leaves some 20,000 (60,000-40,000) who had started in or passed through SJPP but did not arrive in Santiago.

Now it gets a bit complicated : we cannot explain this deficit by the sections walkers because even if people walk only 2 weeks per year, there was a continuous stream of sections walkers along the CF in 2019, ie the ones from 2019, 2018, and 2017 (assuming it takes 6 weeks over 3 years to reach Santiago).

So who makes up the deficit? Walkers who arrive in Compostela but don't set foot into the Pilgrims Office there? Walkers who were forced to abandon their aim of reaching Compostela? Section walkers who never had the opportunity or even the intention of ever reaching Compostela?

I personally know six people who at one time spent the night at SJPP and then walked several sections and that was already several years ago. Four have the intention of maybe one day continuing towards SdC but not in the near future, one enjoyed it but would rather walk in other parts of the world and one had done Burgos-SdC previously and may or may not finish SJPP-Burgos one day. I don't know how representative they are or whether they were even registered at the SJPP Pilgrim's Office ...

I'd guess the place to start is to count how many start from SJPdP actually get to Roncesvalle. There may be regiments of Pilgrims wandering lost in between.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

how many start from SJPdP actually get to Roncesvalle

When I finished at SJPdP, the train to Bayonne had about 8 pilgrims who limped onto the train. I don't know how many made it up the mountains, but there are those who do not finish the first day to Orisson/Roncesvalles.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Is there a version in english?

Hola Even if you do not speak Spanish its reasonably easy to "personal translate" these statistics (imho).

 

[MisterH]

Hola Even if you do not speak Spanish its reasonably easy to "personal translate" these statistics (imho).

I took Spanish in high school, but that was over 60 years ago and I have forgotten some of it. Country names were usually forgotten as were some of the classifications.

 

[Kathor1]

On my pilgrimages in France, I have met many French pilgrims who ended their pilgrimage in Saint Jean Pied de Port (Roncevaux/Roncesvalles), some who finished in the Somport Pass, and again others who had Lourdes as their final destination.

Of these French pilgrims, only those who set foot into the Pilgrims Office in SJPP appeared in their statistical end of year list ☺. My earlier comment was an attempt to put all these numbers into some kind of meaningful perspective as a tentative answer to someone's question.

The people who collect these data, whether in SJPP or in SdC, are not the most rigorous statisticians in the world. And why should they? SJPP counts the people who visit their office. If they record where these people go next, whether they return home, walk along the Nive valley or over one of the nearest mountain passes, they don't publish it.

I did a quick search and found a comment that during one particular week in one particular month in one particular year, 348 pilgrims passed through the office: 4 stopped in SJPP, 3 walked to Irun and 341 left for the Camino Frances. For the kind of estimates we are doing here, one can ignore those 7 people vs those 341 people. It's a somewhat valid extrapolation, in the absence of more concrete information about these data.

 

[Bradypus]

I think it's obvious that the people who collect these data, whether in SJPP or on SdC, are not the most rigorous statisticians in the world. And why should they?

The Santiago Compostela figures are useful for showing trends but they can never be a definitive picture. No one has to register anywhere at the start of their Camino. They do not have to start from fixed locations. They do not have to report a decision to pack it in part way. And they do not have to register with the Santiago pilgrim office on arrival. But the Santiago office does at least publish a lot of information on the people it has actually heard about I have been trying to find any vaguely accurate figures for numbers walking the Via Francigena and I am drawing a blank. The Vatican does not publish details of the number of Testimoniums it gives out. The best kept records on the VF seem to be those of Danilo the ferryman on the Po near Piacenza. But his records obviously only cover those who are walking well north on the route and only those who choose to cross by ferry rather than walk the north bank and cross by bridge as I did. By comparison with the VF the Santiago and SJPDP statistics are encyclopedic

Edit: Stop press news - I managed to find some Testimonium figures Not in huge detail but it does give some basis for comparison with the Caminos. In 2018 9,372 Testimoniums were issued in Rome. So a little way to go before they catch up with Santiago's 347,578

Questi cammini italiani hanno battuto per la prima volta Santiago di Compostela

I cammini italiani “battono” Santiago de Compostela.

www.greenme.it

 

[David Tallan]

Edit: Stop press news - I managed to find some Testimonium figures Not in huge detail but it does give some basis for comparison with the Caminos. In 2018 9,372 Testimoniums were issued in Rome. So a little way to go before they catch up with Santiago's 347,578

Questi cammini italiani hanno battuto per la prima volta Santiago di Compostela

I cammini italiani “battono” Santiago de Compostela.

www.greenme.it

Although still almost twice as many as Santiago was issuing only 30 years ago (which may seem like a long time but is actually pretty short in the more than a thousand year history of the pilgrimages).

 

[Bradypus]

Although still almost twice as much as Santiago was issuing only 30 years ago (which may seem like a long time but is actually pretty short in the more than a thousand year history of the pilgrimages).

Yes - pretty close to the number of Compostelas issued in 1992. And that in itself was almost double the number in 1990! Things were growing fast then. The 1993 Holy Year saw a ten-fold jump in numbers. Would be interesting to see a blip like that in 2021

 

[E V Waight]

Is there any country in the world not represented on this list? it's mind-blowing!

I do not think so! It is mind-blowing indeed.

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

Does anyone know how to get the numbers by month?

 

[E V Waight]

Does anyone know how to get the numbers by month?

This link is perhaps the best I have seen.

Camino Stats

crowley.pw

 

[Bradypus]

Does anyone know how to get the numbers by month?

On the pilgrim office website by year and month.

Estadísticas | Oficina del Peregrino. Santiago de Compostela

Ver estadísticas

oficinadelperegrino.com

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

On the pilgrim office website by year and month.

Estadísticas | Oficina del Peregrino. Santiago de Compostela

Ver estadísticas

oficinadelperegrino.com

Thanks, but as far as I know, they have skipper this feature on their new website? I have written and asked them if it is coming back, but received no answer. Are you able to finder on the pilgrim office currently, I am very interested in knowing how?

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

This link is perhaps the best I have seen.

Camino Stats

crowley.pw

Just wooooooow, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much.

 

[Jane Silverman]

Wow, brave men, those! And strong. And a bit daft as well...???! (In the best way

 

[Former member 2537]

Monthly stats are indeed there. Go to https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/
The lower set of dropdowns. Select a year, then month, then click Refrescar. (You have to select a year other than 2004 to start with to have it work.)

Haven't yet had the time to wade into this yet but did take a quick look at male and female Compostela numbers. The trend that began at least two decades ago continues. In 2019 the ratio of men to women compostelas was 0.95, down from 2018's 0.99. Again, fewer men than women. See attached.

 

[Former member 2537]

BTW: https://americanpilgrims.org/statistics/

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

Monthly stats are indeed there. Go to https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics/
The lower set of dropdowns. Select a year, then month, then click Refrescar. (You have to select a year other than 2004 to start with to have it work.)

Haven't yet had the time to wade into this yet but did take a quick look at male and female Compostela numbers. The trend that began at least two decades ago continues. In 2019 the ratio of men to women compostelas was 0.95, down from 2018's 0.99. Again, fewer men than women. See attached.

I feel terribly stupid... but when I click for instance december 2019, I have to add together the continents to see the total number.. Do you see it right away?

 

[Kathor1]

I feel terribly stupid... but when I click for instance december 2019, I have to add together the continents to see the total number.. Do you see it right away?

Nope, monthly totals are not in view. Adding men and women is faster than adding continents but requires scrolling down.

I think there's a concept in the world of content design that is called usability, though ...

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

I work with usability and webdesign. Maybe that’s why I get so frustrated about webdesign like this. Adding male and female must be best way then...Thanks so much!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I wonder who the other person from Fiji was and when they walked.

 

[Bradypus]

I wonder who the other person from Fiji was and when they walked.

And did they walk all the way from home?

 

[Kathor1]

@MarieLauFlorin, did you notice the Comparativa function? It's at the end of the list of months in the drop down menu. Click away a continent or two, or all the starting places except one. Great fun. There's, inexplicably, a bug in some years but it works fine for 2019.

 

[Kathor1]

And did they walk all the way from home?

You mean from their residence near the Fiji embassy in Madrid?

 

[Bradypus]

You mean from their residence near the Fiji embassy in Madrid?

Actually the mental image I had was more like this

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Actually the mental image I had was more like this
View attachment 68786

Unfortunately, the ocean waves are a bit bigger than the ones in this image.

Archive: New Zealand Navy vessel faces monster waves - NZ Herald

Archive: The RNZN vessel 'HMNZS Otago' faced 20m swells when it sailed through a storm in Southern Ocean in 2015. YouTube / Alex Croucher

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[diegoromerosm]

Is there a version in english?

Check this out

 

[diegoromerosm]

I feel terribly stupid... but when I click for instance december 2019, I have to add together the continents to see the total number.. Do you see it right away?

Sure... I’ve uploaded some dashboards with aggregated info since 2004 based on their numbers. I‘d appreciate your feedback