1.70 Million Pilgrims Attend 2026 Hajj Season

The Saudi government, through the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), reported that 1.70 million pilgrims participated in the 2026 Hajj season. This figure includes 1.54 million pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia and 160,646 Saudi citizens residing in the kingdom.

The breakdown of arrivals indicates that 1.48 million pilgrims entered Saudi Arabia by air, 54,429 arrived via land borders, and 6,497 came by sea. The 2026 Hajj turnout reflects an increase of approximately 34,000 pilgrims compared to 2025, which recorded 1.67 million pilgrims.

However, this number is still below the record of 1.83 million pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj season. The statistics indicate a partial recovery in pilgrim turnout after a decline from 2024 to 2025, maintaining the significance of the Hajj as one of the world's largest religious gatherings, attracting Muslims globally to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.