The Prayagraj Mela Authority’s final figure for Maha Kumbh 2025 is a total pilgrim footfall of 66.3 crore over 45 days, from 13 January to 26 February 2025. It is an official estimate built up from daily counts, not a count of individual people.
The headline figures
| What | Official figure | Who published it |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 13 January to 26 February 2025, 45 days | Government of India |
| Expected before the mela | Over 40 crore (December 2024); a later release spoke of an expected 45 crore | Government of India |
| Final footfall | 66.3 crore by 26 February 2025 | Prayagraj Mela Authority |
| Last day, Mahashivratri | 1,53,59,265, about 1.54 crore | Prayagraj Mela Authority |
| Kumbh 2019, for comparison | 24 crore pilgrims, on 3,200 hectares | Government of India |
A Government of India release on the last day of the mela gave rounded figures for six bathing days. An earlier release, on 7 February, gave higher figures for two of them. Both are estimates, so we show both.
| Date | Bathing day | 26 February release | 7 February release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jan | Paush Purnima | 1.5 crore | over 1.7 crore |
| 14 Jan | Makar Sankranti, first Amrit Snan | 3.5 crore | 3.5 crore |
| 29 Jan | Mauni Amavasya, second Amrit Snan | 5 crore | over 8 crore |
| 3 Feb | Basant Panchami, third Amrit Snan | 2.33 crore | more than 2.5 crore |
| 12 Feb | Maghi Purnima | 2 crore | not yet held |
| 26 Feb | Mahashivratri | 1.3 crore | not yet held |
How to read 66 crore
The 66 crore figure adds up the daily counts announced through the mela. The releases we read do not explain how the counting was done, or how someone who bathed on several days was counted. A Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs review repeats the “over 65 crore devotees” figure, but also cites a study by the Institute for Competitiveness that puts footfall at about 300 million (30 crore) visitors, with peak days of up to 50 million. The two numbers are far apart, which suggests they measure different things. Neither is a headcount.
What it took on the ground
Government of India releases list these arrangements. Some were stated as plans before or during the mela, not as audited totals.
- Bridges and paths: 30 pontoon bridges built with 3,308 pontoons, 92 roads renovated and 2,69,000 checkered plates laid for pathways.
- Signs: 800 signboards in Hindi, English and regional languages.
- Security: over 50,000 security personnel, 2,750 AI-based CCTV cameras and 3,800 water police personnel on the rivers.
- Health: a 100-bed central hospital at Parade Ground, 23 hospitals with 360 beds in all, and 133 ambulances, including seven river ambulances and one air ambulance.
- Sanitation: 25,000 mobile toilets, 1.45 lakh fixed toilets, 15,000 sanitation workers and 2,500 Ganga Seva Doots.
- Trains: Indian Railways said it was introducing over 1,000 special trains to Prayagraj.
What the numbers mean for the next Kumbh
Prayagraj’s figures are not a forecast for other places. Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain have their own ghats, roads and authorities, and each publishes its own plans. At the Sangam itself, the yearly Magh Mela is expected from 15 January to 6 March 2027, and the next Ardh Kumbh is expected in 2031.
Read Prayagraj Kumbh for the place and its bathing tradition, and Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh, Purna Kumbh and Maha Kumbh for what the names mean.
Sources
- Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 official website: pilgrim count and total footfall · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
- Mahakumbh 2025: A Spectacle of Faith, Unity, and Tradition · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- Mahakumbh 2025: Over 40 crore Devotees have taken the Holy Dip at the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj till date · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- Maha Kumbh 2025: A Seamless and Spiritually Enriching Journey Awaits Devotees · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
- By 5:30 PM today, over 3.5 crore Devotees participate in the 1st Amrit Snan on Makar Sakranti at the Maha Kumbh 2025 · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
- Swachh Maha Kumbh 2025: A Mega Event of Unprecedented Firsts (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2025 review) · Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India (published by PIB) ·
- Crores of Devotees take the holy Dip at Sangam during the second Amrit Snan of Mahakumbh 2025 on Mauni Amavasya · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- Prime Minister condoles loss of lives in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Prime Minister's Office) ·
- Prayagraj: Blending Tradition with Modernity: 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela to Set New Global Standards · Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Culture, Government of India ·
- Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·
Photo: Subhankar Banerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0
