Mount Everest is seeing more human traffic than at any point in the last three decades of available data, according to Visual Capitalist's Sofie Gilbert.
Successful climbs are now overwhelmingly concentrated in the spring, when favorable weather can funnel hundreds of climbers toward the summit within a matter of days. Meanwhile, the workforce supporting expeditions has grown alongside the number of people attempting the mountain.
The data comes from The Himalayan Database, which tracks registered expeditions across the Nepal Himalaya. It shows how the scale, timing, and composition of Everest climbing have transformed since the 1990s.
Everest's Climbing Boom
The number of people recorded on Everest has surged alongside the number reaching the summit.
In 2025, The Himalayan Database recorded 585 visitors and 934 hired workers on the mountain, for a total of 1,519 people. That's nearly four times the 395 people recorded in 1995.
Year Visitors on the mountain Workers on the mountain Total 1995 247 148 395 1996 338 194 532 1997 337 198 535 1998 271 160 431 1999 221 131 352 2000 406 247 653 2001 371 230 601 2002 237 192 429 2003 491 352 843 2004 394 269 663 2005 480 394 874 2006 492 392 884 2007 595 505 1,100 2008 402 314 716 2009 492 404 896 2010 466 444 910 2011
