Where are the pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago from?

In 2025, 530,844 pilgrims arrived in Santiago, a new record. Spaniards are the most numerous nationality, but foreigners now make up 57%. The United States, Italy, Germany, and Portugal top the list of an increasingly international Camino.

The Camino de Santiago is walked by more and more pilgrims every year, and increasingly from more places around the world. Spaniards remain the most numerous nationality, but for a while now foreigners, as a whole, have outnumbered them. So, where do the pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago come from? Let's look at the official 2025 data from the Pilgrim's Office, the latest complete year.

Origin of Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago has roots that go back to the Middle Ages. It has always been a symbol of unity and spirituality, attracting pilgrims from all over the world. It is also a space for cultural exchange and encounters between people from different countries and cultures. The international appeal of the Jacobean routes is reflected in the diversity of its walkers, and that mix of languages and backgrounds is part of what makes this pilgrimage special.

How many pilgrims walked the Camino de Santiago in 2025?

In 2025, 530,844 pilgrims arrived in Santiago and collected the Compostela, according to the Pilgrim's Office. That's 6% more than in 2024 and a new record: for the first time, the half-million mark was passed, and the 500,000th pilgrim was welcomed in October. Not everyone who reaches Santiago requests the Compostela, and many only walk certain sections of the Camino, so the real number of walkers is higher. If you want to see the rest of the year's data (routes, starting points, months, reasons, or ages), you'll find them in our Camino de Santiago 2025 statistics.

How many Spanish pilgrims were there?

229,051 pilgrims were Spanish, 43% of the total, the majority nationality. Andalusians stand out, almost 1 in 4 Spanish pilgrims (23.6%), ahead of those from Madrid (17.9%), Valencia (12.3%), Catalonia (9.6%), and Galicia (5.7%). The image below shows it in detail.

How many international pilgrims were there?

Foreign pilgrims numbered 299,275, 57% of the total, once again outnumbering the Spanish. The United States was the second most represented country on the Camino and the top country among foreigners, with 44,238 pilgrims (8.4%), about 4,400 more than in 2024. It was followed by Italy (26,799), Germany (24,594), and Portugal (22,894), and then the United Kingdom (14,711), Mexico (12,119), Ireland (10,814), and France (10,122).

Europe and the Americas top the list: besides the United States and Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia stand out. From Asia, pilgrims come mainly from Korea, Taiwan, and China, and in total there were pilgrims from more than 190 countries and territories, some with just one or two walkers in the whole year. If you're coming from outside Europe, our guide for international pilgrims will help you, and for the trip, our guide to flights to Santiago de Compostela.

And in 2026?

The 2026 data is still provisional, but it already shows something new: according to the Pilgrim's Office, by mid-September Italy (37,688) had narrowly overtaken the United States (37,408) as the top foreign country. That's a huge jump compared to all of 2025, coinciding with the success in Italy of Buen Camino, the movie. The full figures will be known in early 2027, which is also a Jacobean Holy Year. The official statistics can be found on the website of the Pilgrim's Office, and the year-by-year trend in our review of the Camino de Santiago statistics from recent years.

In conclusion, the Camino is very much alive and keeps growing. There are more and more international pilgrims, and from more and more countries, in this moving Tower of Babel.

The Camino de Santiago is a route that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, language, skin color, or beliefs. That is the richness of the Camino, and perhaps one of its greatest strengths. Its power to bring people together and create bonds is more than evident, and it's one of its main attractions. Because, as you can read when you arrive in Santiago, Europe was made walking to Compostela. If you want to join that list, calculate the price of your Camino here.