In his assessment of the jubilee, Fisichella described the year as extraordinary in many respects and noted its unusual historical arc: The jubilee began under Pope Francis and concludes under Pope Leo XIV — a transition he said underscored the complexity of the organizational effort.
He also pointed to major events that unfolded alongside the jubilee calendar, including the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26 and the election of his successor, Leo XIV, on May 8, saying those developments were integrated into the jubilee schedule amid an exceptional succession of events.
Pilgrims from 185 countries
According to official Vatican data presented Monday, pilgrims from 185 countries took part in jubilee events. By geographic area, Europe accounted for 62.63% of participants, followed by North America (16.54%), South America (9.44%), and Asia (7.69%). The remaining pilgrims came from Oceania (1.14%), Central America and the Caribbean (1.04%), Africa (0.95%), and the Middle East (0.46%).
By country, Italy represented 36.34% of pilgrims, followed by the United States (12.57%) and Spain (6.23%). Other leading countries included Brazil (4.67%), Poland (3.69%), Germany (3.16%), the United Kingdom (2.81%), China (2.79%), Mexico (2.37%), and France (2.31%). The Vatican also recorded significant participation from Argentina, Canada, Portugal, Colombia, Australia, the Philippines, Slovakia, Indonesia, and Austria.
Fisichella said that beginning in May — around the time of Leo XIV’s election — Rome saw an unexpected increase in pilgrims, which he said was managed with close attention in a city that remained under international media focus throughout the year.
How the count was made
Fisichella said the initial projections were based on a study by the faculty of sociology at Roma Tre University and were intended as an early planning guide.
He said the primary count was made at St. Peter’s Basilica’s Holy Door, where a camera automatically recorded the number of pilgrims passing through each day.
For the other three papal basilicas — St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls — the Vatican applied percentages based on the flow recorded at St. Peter’s, supplemented by volunteer counts using manual clickers. Attendance at major jubilee events and audiences was also tracked and cross-checked with registrations made through the official jubilee website.
