The question
How many Umrah performers are there in a year? When is it busy and when is it quiet? And where do Umrah performers come from: from inside Saudi Arabia or from abroad?
The figure
According to the Umrah statistics in GASTAT’s database, 43.1 million Umrah performers were recorded in Saudi Arabia in 2025 (Rajab 1446 – Rajab 1447 AH), against 35.8 million in 2024, an increase of 20.3%.
Of these, 25.1 million came from inside Saudi Arabia, or 58.1%, and 18.0 million from abroad. Umrah performers from inside rose 32.7% from 2024, and those from abroad 6.6%.
When is it busiest?
In 2024 the average was 3.0 million Umrah performers a month. The highest month was April 2024 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1445 AH), with 7.2 million, 82.8% of them from inside Saudi Arabia.
The quietest month was June 2024 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1445 AH), with 0.8 million; the Hajj season falls in it. So the highest month was about 9 times the quietest.
The two months that contain Ramadan, March 2024 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1445 AH) and April 2024 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1445 AH), brought 35.2% of the whole year’s Umrah performers.
In 2025 the highest month was March 2025 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1446 AH), with 9.1 million, 7.0 million of them from inside Saudi Arabia.
Ramadan is the busiest time, the Hajj month the quietest
Number of Umrah performers each month in 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1445 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1446 AH), in millions
| Month | From inside | From abroad | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1445 AH) | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| February 2024 (Rajab – Sha'ban 1445 AH) | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.2 |
| March 2024 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1445 AH) | 3.2 | 2.2 | 5.4 |
| April 2024 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1445 AH) | 6.0 | 1.2 | 7.2 |
| May 2024 (Shawwal – Dhu al-Qa'dah 1445 AH) | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.5 |
| June 2024 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1445 AH) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| July 2024 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1445 – Muharram 1446 AH) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 |
| August 2024 (Muharram – Safar 1446 AH) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| September 2024 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1446 AH) | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| October 2024 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Rabi' al-Akhir 1446 AH) | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| November 2024 (Rabi' al-Akhir – Jumada al-Ula 1446 AH) | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| December 2024 (Jumada al-Ula – Jumada al-Akhirah 1446 AH) | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 |
Those from inside and from abroad come at different times
Umrah performers from inside Saudi Arabia gather in Ramadan. Those from abroad are spread more across the year: in 2024, 66.0% of them came in the first and fourth quarters.
Crowds follow Ramadan, and Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year; so the Gregorian peak month changes from year to year. The next Ramadan begins on 8 February 2027 (1 Ramadan 1448 AH) according to the Umm al-Qura calendar.
What this means for your decision
This describes what happened in 2024 and 2025; it is not a forecast of the next season.
- For anyone planning their Umrah and wanting a quieter time: Ramadan was the busiest, and most of its crowd is Umrah performers from inside Saudi Arabia. The quietest month coincides with the Hajj season, when Umrah is subject to rules announced by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, so check them before you plan.
- For the owner of accommodation, transport or a shop in Makkah and Madinah: the highest month is about 9 times the quietest, so compare each month with the same Hijri month the year before, not with the Gregorian month.
- For researchers: most of the 2025 increase came from Umrah performers already inside Saudi Arabia.
Analytical reading, not financial advice.
Full official figures: Tourism and Umrah: the official figures · How full are hotels? (reading)(Arabic) · All insights(Arabic)
Translated from the Arabic reading; the Arabic text is the original. The original reading(Arabic)