The Camino de Santiago continues to grow at the gates of Xacobeo 2027. Until August 17, 355,792 pilgrims had already requested the Compostela, 6% more than in the same period last year. And there is another fact that confirms the global dimension of the phenomenon: more than six out of ten are foreigners.
El Camino advances towards another extraordinary year.
After 2025 ends with more than 530,000 pilgrims who requested the Compostela, the figures accumulated during 2026 once again point towards very high records.
Until July they had arrived in Santiago 311,040 pilgrims, compared to the 294,860 registered during the same period in 2025. And the counter has continued to grow during August until reaching 355,792 pilgrims as of August 17.
If the trend continues, exceeding half a million again seems increasingly likely, although we will still have to wait to see if 2026 ends up setting a new record.
More foreigners than Spaniards on the Camino
Perhaps the most interesting fact is not only in the total number.
Of the 355,792 pilgrims counted, 216,927 come from abroad, while 138,865 are Spanish.
That is, approximately 61% are international.
The Camino de Santiago is thus confirmed as a phenomenon that long ago ceased to belong exclusively to Spain or Europe.
Every season, pilgrims come to the Jacobean routes from practically every corner of the planet.
The United States and Italy, in the lead
Among foreign pilgrims, the United States, with 30,620 walkers, followed by Italy, with 26,628.
Then two especially interesting markets appear for the Camino:
Portugal, with 16,312 pilgrims, and Germany, with 15,446.
These are figures that also help to understand why on the streets of Santiago, in the hostels and on the different routes it is increasingly common to hear English, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Korean and many other languages.
Extraordinarily minority origins even appear: the cited records include a pilgrim from Greenland, Cayman Islands, Guinea and Gabon, in addition to two from the Vatican.
The French Way continues to dominate
Despite the growth of other routes, the French Way clearly maintains first place.
So far this year it has accumulated 152,281 pilgrims.
But behind it a very interesting phenomenon is taking place.
He Portuguese Way add up now 71.670, while the Portuguese Coastal Route reaches 67,781 pilgrims.
The distance between both Portuguese variants is increasingly smaller and demonstrates the enormous strength that the routes from Portugal have acquired.
Below are the Camino Inglés (20,122), he Primitive Path (16,236) and the North Road (13,313).
Sarria continues to be the great gateway
There is another trend that remains.
Sarria continues to be the most used starting point by those who later arrive in Santiago.
Its position on the French Way and the distance from Compostela have made it for years one of the great gateways to the Jacobean phenomenon.
But she is not alone either.
Tui, Ferrol, Oporto, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Vigo and Valença do Minho also appear among the departure points that exceed 10,000 pilgrims.
Xacobeo 2027 already appears on the horizon
All these figures become even more relevant because there is less than a year left until one of the great events of the Jacobean world.
2027 will be Compostela Holy Year, coinciding with July 25, the feast of Santiago Apóstol, on a Sunday.
The Compostela tourism sector is already detecting reservations for 2027 and expects a continued arrival of pilgrims throughout the year.
The last Holy Year began in 2021 and, due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the pandemic, was also extended into 2022.
The next one will come with a completely different situation.
The Camino is breaking records, the Portuguese routes continue to grow and the internationalization of the pilgrimage seems unstoppable.
The 355,792 pilgrims registered until August 17 They are more than just a number.
They are a preview of what can happen when 2027 arrives.
And the Camino once again experiences a Xacobeo in full expansion.
