The question
How many pilgrims came from outside Saudi Arabia in the last two seasons? From which countries did they come? How did they arrive? And how many performed Hajj from inside Saudi Arabia?
The figure
According to the Hajj statistics in GASTAT’s database, there were 1,707,301 pilgrims at Hajj 1447 AH (2026), an increase of 2.0% on Hajj 1446 AH (2025), when there were 1,673,230.
Of these, 1,546,655 came from outside Saudi Arabia, or 90.6%, and 160,646 from inside. Pilgrims from abroad rose 2.7% on Hajj 1446 AH, and pilgrims from inside fell 3.6%.
Hajj 1445 AH (2024) was larger than both seasons: 1,833,164 pilgrims. The number fell by 8.7% at Hajj 1446 AH.
Where did pilgrims from abroad come from?
GASTAT publishes pilgrims from abroad at Hajj 1446 AH by groups of countries. The largest is non-Arab Asian countries: 904,360 pilgrims came from them, or 60.0% of pilgrims from abroad.
Next come Arab countries outside the Gulf with 22.2%, then non-Arab African countries with 13.0%. Gulf countries account for 2.5%, and Europe and the Americas together 2.2%.
More than half of pilgrims from abroad came from non-Arab Asian countries
Pilgrims from abroad at Hajj 1446 AH (2025), by the group of countries they came from
| Group of countries | Pilgrims | Share of pilgrims from abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Arab Asian countries | 904,360 | 60.0% |
| Arab countries outside the Gulf | 334,657 | 22.2% |
| Non-Arab African countries | 196,542 | 13.0% |
| Gulf (GCC) countries | 37,507 | 2.5% |
| Europe and the Americas | 33,510 | 2.2% |
| All pilgrims from abroad | 1,506,576 | 100.0% |
How did they arrive?
Most pilgrims from abroad arrive by air: 96.1% at Hajj 1447 AH, and 95.3% at Hajj 1446 AH. At Hajj 1447 AH, 54,429 pilgrims arrived by land and 6,497 by sea.
And pilgrims from inside?
Pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia at Hajj 1447 AH numbered 160,646, of whom 111,715 were Saudis, or 69.5%, and 48,931 were non-Saudis living in Saudi Arabia.
Men were 52.3% of all pilgrims at Hajj 1447 AH.
What this means for your decision
This describes the 1445, 1446 and 1447 AH seasons; it is not a forecast of the next season.
- For anyone working in accommodation, transport or catering in Makkah and the holy sites: most of the people you serve in the season are pilgrims from abroad, and most of them arrive by air and from non-Arab Asian countries.
- For anyone intending to perform Hajj from inside Saudi Arabia: Hajj from inside requires a permit, and its rules and numbers are announced each season by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah; so refer to them before you plan.
- For researchers and journalists: compare each season with the Hijri season before it, and separate pilgrims from inside from pilgrims from abroad; each can move in a different direction, as happened at Hajj 1447 AH.
Analytical reading, not financial advice.
Full official figures: Tourism, Hajj and Umrah: the official figures · How many people perform Umrah each year, and when is it busiest? (reading)(Arabic) · All insights(Arabic)
Translated from the Arabic reading; the Arabic text is the original. The original reading(Arabic)