Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has announced that more than 1.70 million pilgrims participated in the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, reflecting an increase compared to the 2025 exercise.
According to the official figures released by the Saudi authority, a total of 1.54 million pilgrims arrived from outside the Kingdom, while 160,646 pilgrims were Saudi citizens and residents.
The breakdown of international arrivals showed that approximately 1.48 million pilgrims entered Saudi Arabia by air, 54,429 arrived through land borders, while 6,497 pilgrims travelled by sea.
GASTAT noted that the 2026 Hajj figures represent an increase of about 34,000 pilgrims compared to the 1.67 million recorded in 2025.
However, the turnout still remains below the 1.83 million pilgrims registered during the 2024 Hajj season.
The authority described the released data as the verified official count for the 2026 pilgrimage season.
Hajj remains one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, drawing millions of Muslims from across the globe to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah for spiritual worship and religious rites.
