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1.70 million pilgrims performed 2026 Hajj, Saudi authority

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement New plan
  • Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics reported that 1.70 million pilgrims participated in the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
  • This figure represents an increase from the 1.67 million pilgrims in 2025 but remains below the 1.83 million recorded in 2024.
  • Of the total pilgrims, 1.54 million were international, arriving via air, land, or sea, while 160,646 were Saudi citizens and residents.

A total of 1.70 million pilgrims performed the 2026 Hajj, according to figures released by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). This number marks an increase from the 1.67 million pilgrims who participated in the 2025 Hajj.

The official statistics for the 2026 Hajj season indicate that 1.54 million pilgrims were international arrivals, while 160,646 were Saudi citizens and residents. International pilgrims entered the Kingdom through various means: 1.48 million arrived by air, 54,429 by land borders, and 6,497 by sea.

While the 2026 turnout shows a partial rebound compared to the previous year, it still falls short of the 1.83 million pilgrims recorded during the 2024 Hajj season. GASTAT noted a year-on-year decline in pilgrim numbers between 2024 and 2025 before this recent increase.

The Hajj remains one of the world's largest religious gatherings, drawing Muslims globally to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah for spiritual rites. The figures released by GASTAT represent the verified official count for the pilgrimage.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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