2001 pilgrim numbers

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
    The Archicofradia of Santiago reports that 61,418 pilgrims received the
Compostela during 2001.  Of these, 2,590 arrived in April, 3,966 in May,
6,802 in June, 35,034 during July and August, 7,671 in September, 3,419 in
October, and the rest in smaller numbers from 865 in November to 123 in
February.
    61% of the pilgrims were male and 39% female.   More than 9 pilgrims in
ten declared a religious purpose in making the pilgrimage..
    49,569 of the pilgrims walked, 11,641 went by bicycle, 204 rode horses
and 4 went by wheelchair.
    91% of the pilgrims followed the French way (which apparently includes
the Aragonese route from Jaca, since it appears that the French Way is
considered to commence at Puente La Reina, where those pilgrims coming from
SJPP and Roncesvalles, and those coming from Somport and Jaca meet) and the
rest followed the North, the Portuguese and the Silver Way.
    27,880 of the pilgrims were under 30 years old; 21,287 were between 30
and 50 years of age; 7,743  between 50 and 60, 4,025 between 60 and 70; 320
between 70 and 75; 131 between 75 and 80 and 32 over 80.
    The largest number of pilgrims, 39,429 came from Spain.  From other
countries in Europe came 17,119 (4,278 from France, 3,693 from Germany, 2,601
from Italy, 1,118 from Belgium and the rest from 30 other countries).  4,347
of us went from America (1,571 from USA, 1,356 from Brasil, 629 from Canada,
219 from Mexico, 185 from Argentina and the rest from 21 other American
countries).  376 of the pilgrims came from Oceania (300 from Australia, 74
from New Zealand and 2 from Indonesia).  72 pilgrims came from 9 African
countries and 133 from Asia, including 66 from Japan, 15 from Israel, 3 from
China and 1 from Palestine.
    In all, pilgrims hailed from 91 different countries.
    It should be noted that the above figures do not include those pilgrims
that, for one reason or another, did not complete the pilgrimage or did not
request the Compostela.
    As a vantage point, I'd like to add that in the eighties the number of
pilgrims hovered around 3,000 per year; in 1991 the figure rose to 7,274, in
1992 to 9,764 and in 1993, a Jacobean Holy Year, to an unbelievable 99,436!.
For the next five years, always in increasing number, the numbers averaged
about 23,000 per year; then, in the next Jacobean Holy Year, 1999, the number
exploded to 155,613.  As you know, 55,004 of us made the pilgrimage in 2000
and, in 2001 61,418.

    I wonder if any of our esteemed Caminologists and distinguished Camino
writers in this list has a plausible explanation for the huge increase in
numbers in 1993; admittedly, it was a Jacobean Holy Year.... but, a  one
thousand per cent increase?  I'd love to know what you think may have
inspired so very many pilgrims in that particular year.

Fond regards,
Rosina