Every year since 1922, with the exception of 1977 and 2020, mountaineers die while trying to summit the highest mountain in the world – Mount Everest.

The first recorded deaths were of seven porters during the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition. An expedition that George Mallory was on. And is well known, Mallory and his climbing companion, Andrew Irvine, took part in a third and fatal attempt to climb Everest in 1924.

Finally summited on 29 May, 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, Everest continues to call out to mountaineers – and continues to claim lives. During the 1980s and 90s the commercialization of Everest took place, meaning anyone with the financial means can climb and potentially conquer the world’s highest peak.

On April 25, 2015, an avalanche at Everest base camp – a result of the Gorka Earthquake that took place some 200km away and shook the whole country – took the lives of 19 people. The single biggest death on Everest in one day. Today the rate of death on the mountain stands at 14.1%. Here we take a look at both how many people have climbed and how many have perished on Everest, and at who these souls are and what becomes of their remains.

Why Do People Climb Everest?

First of all, given the dangers, why do people climb Everest?  Is it as Mallory said “because it’s there”? Or are there other reasons?  The days of being the first to achieve world goals are over for the average person.  But it is still possible to achieve many personal goals, such as climbing the highest mountain in the world.  For seasoned mountaineers, Everest may not be the most technically difficult mountain to climb something many of their peers have achieved and with whom they want to keep up.    But there are hundreds of people who attempt Everest who are not experienced, mountaineers.  Is it then such a big personal goal that they are blinkered to the dangers?  Or, with the huge fees charged for expeditions, is it advertised as being achievable “for everyone”?

How Many People Have Climbed Everest?

By looking at the world map above we can see how the scale runs from two successful climbers in 1953 to xxx in 2021, peaking in  xxxx.  It is anticipated that this number will only increase, particularly after the COVID lockdowns of 2020 when only one Chinese expedition makes the climb.

Successful Summits

There have been a total of xxx successful summits since 1953, with a total of xxxx mountaineers who have climbed the mountain, successfully or not. According to a study by the University of Washington and the University of California, the success rate of summiting Everest has doubled in the last three decades. This stands with the theory of it being more ‘accessible’ to all, particularly with the improved climbing gear available. The study asks whether the increased success rate of more recent climbers (2006 to 2018 as per the study) was due to more experience. It found, however, that climbers in that period had significantly less experience – again lending weight to the theory of it being more accessible and experiences being less significant than in the past. Interestingly this study shows that there is no difference between the success rate of women and men on Everest. It does indicate an age difference – being that the success rate declines for climbers over 40 years of age. This being said, do the figures correlate between the increased number of attempts and the number of deaths on the mountain?

How Many People Have Died Climbing Mount Everest?

In 1977 only two people reached the summit of Everest and no one died. In 2020 with permits suspended by the Government of Nepal due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no one summited and no one died. Aside from these years, we see the deaths of mountaineers on Everest as a constant.

Do Only the Less Experienced Die on Everest?

Everest is an unforgiving mountain in terms of terrain, weather, and altitude. The University of Washington and the University of California study shows that successful ascents are more likely by those who have climbed at altitude in Nepal than those who, although having high altitude experience elsewhere, had not. But experience comes with no guarantee on this mountain. In 2001, record-holding Babu Chiri Sherpa died near Camp II. Babu Chiri summited 10 times, and spend 20 hours on the summit in 1999, setting a new record. He also set a record of climbing from base camp to the summit in an astounding16 hours and 56 minutes and had summited twice in a two-week period. There are numerous other well know mountaineers who have perished on Everest such as Robert Hall (d. 11 May 1996), inspiring Jon Krakauer’s book ‘Into Thin Air’ and the 2016 film ‘Everest’. Hall had summited Everest five times. More than any non-Sherpa at that time. So, no, experience doesn’t come with guarantees.

What Happens if You Die on Everest: Will Your Body Be Removed?

The cost of mounting an expedition to climb Everest is huge. Not just in terms of logistics but in terms of manpower and stamina as well. The cost of removing a body from Everest would require the same logistics, cost, manpower, and stamina. And basically, it is life-threatening to try and retrieve a body. As a result, very few bodies are ever removed, even if they are accessible. The decision to leave a team member behind is never easy. To quote Ian Woodall from the fated team that saw the loss of Robert Hall, “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, much harder than going to the summit.” Many bodies of course are inaccessible, perhaps through having fallen into a craven. Some are in extremely high altitude zones where even taking a few steps is an unbelievably exhausting task, thus making it physically impossible to move a body. Some bodies are never found. George Mallory, lost in 1924, was only found in 1999 and still begs the question – did he and his companion reach the summit.

Bodies on Everest

Today some of the bodies on Everest act as markers for climbers and many remain in place as a tribute to their love of the mountains. It has been estimated that there are xxxx number of bodies on Everest, with xxx in clear view of passing mountaineers.

Other Sources and Databases

We will update this data map every year. We would also refer you to the Himalayan Database (https://www.himalayandatabase.com/) for further information on past and current teams climbing on Everest and other mountains in Nepal.

Himalayan Database Background

This is a compilation of all expeditions that have taken place in the Nepal Himalayas. It covers the period 1905 to 2021, showing attempts, ascents, and major accidents. Each expedition records information of all team members, hired staff (Sherpas) and provides details of the dates, route, camps, and use of oxygen, etc. As well as accidents and deaths. The Himalayan Database is the work of Elizabeth Hawley gathered from the journals of the mountaineers, correspondence, and meetings with the same.

Elizabeth Hawley (1923-2018)

Miss Hawley, as she liked to be called, was an American journalist who lived in Kathmandu from 1960 until her death in 2018. Regarded as a ‘one-woman mountaineering institution’ because of her amazing and accurate compilation of the Himalayan Database, still maintained today and published by the American Alpine Club, Miss Hawley was not a mountaineer, nor (she confessed) had she done much trekking. And yet in her early days, she was involved in the pioneering Tiger Tops and managed the Himalayan Trust for Sir Edmund Hillary. Her involvement in collecting mountaineering data started through her work with Reuters and from 1963 onwards she met every expedition before and after their climbs. With over 20,000 ascents of around 460 Nepal peaks, and 7,000 expedition interviews, her data still holds today and continues through a group of volunteers. It is still the ultimate record of climbs in Nepal.