Mount Everest Summits: Over 11,000 Successful Ascents Since 1953

As of the 2023 season, the Himalayan Database records 11,346 summits of Mount Everest (8,848.86 m) by 6,098 unique individuals since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first ascent on May 29, 1953.

Key Statistics

• South side (Nepal): ~70% of summits (standard Southeast Ridge route).
• North side (Tibet/China): ~30% (North Ridge route; closed to foreigners 2008, 2014, 2020–21).
• Deaths: ~310 (fatality rate ~1.4% of summiteers; ~4% of all who climb above Base Camp).
• Multiple summiteers: Kami Rita Sherpa (28), Lhakpa Sherpa (female record: 10).
• Firsts by country: Still occurring (e.g., Ghana 2023, Barbados 2024).

Why the Exact Number Is Uncertain

• Unregistered climbs: Some expeditions (especially early, or on the Tibetan side) went unreported.
• Definition of "summit": Central summit vs. true summit (snow cap); some claim credit for reaching the "balcony" or "Hillary Step."
• Data sources: Himalayan Database (Elizabeth Hawley's legacy) is the gold standard; Nepal's Ministry of Tourism issues permits but doesn't independently verify summits.

Trends

• Commercial guiding (1990s–present) caused exponential growth: 1990 = 72 summits; 2019 = 891; 2023 = 656 (post-COVID rebound).
• Permit fees: Nepal $11,000; Tibet ~$8,000–$10,000 (plus logistics $30K–$100K+).

The mountain is more crowded, more regulated, and more commercially accessible than ever—but the death zone remains unforgiving.