DThe number of people on the Way of St. James has increased again and has approached half a million pilgrims. This makes 2023 the new record year for the traditional route to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. If you follow the statistics published by the pilgrim office there, 446,035 pilgrims from all over the world arrived in the Apostle City last year. The lion's share, at 44 percent, went to the Spaniards themselves, among whom the Andalusians were the most strongly represented.
Among foreigners, Americans were at the top (32,063), followed by Italians (29,036) and Germans (24,342). Portuguese, French, British, Mexicans, South Koreans and Irish were also represented in the top ten. Behind them were the distant countries of Australia and Canada. Austria came in 22nd place (2,429), Switzerland in 24th place (1,882), separated only by Indonesia.
It is also interesting to look at the end of the statistics, in which almost all of the almost 200 states recognized under international law were represented. Two arrivals each came from Laos and Myanmar, one person each from Lesotho, Senegal, Somalia and the Solomon Islands. Three arrivals of citizens from the Vatican were reported. In a gender comparison, women were ahead.
Pilgrims receive a certificate
The unifying element for everyone was that they received their certificates at the pilgrim office in Santiago de Compostela. Provided they were able to use the stamp sequences in their pilgrim ID card to prove that they had covered the last 100 kilometers on foot or the last 200 kilometers by bicycle. However, it was not clear whether the cyclists were conventional cyclists or e-bikers. Traditionally, no fixed criteria apply to wheelchair users (198 arrivals).
The current record year has eclipsed the previous ones, namely 2022 (438,321) and 2019 (347,511). In the 1980s and early 1990s the numbers were still below the 10,000 mark. The Holy Years of Compostela always provided an upswing, with St. James's Day falling on a Sunday on July 25th and advertising measures boosting the influx: 1993 (99,436), 1999 (154,613), 2004 (179,891) and 2010 (272,417).
When the current statistics were collected, according to the pilgrim office, 42.6 percent of arrivals stated “religious reasons” and 34.7 percent “religious and other reasons”; 22.7 percent were for “non-religious reasons.” What is certain is that it is not just the Christian faith that is a decisive driving force. Pilgrimage on the Way of St. James has also become a fad, a lifestyle event. The backpack transport offered by relevant providers makes the strain easier. Organizers also offer “The Last 100 Kilometers to Santiago” as an all-round, worry-free package: with luggage transfer, route descriptions, hotel bookings and emergency assistance.
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