Hajj international arrivals top 1.5 million

Saudi authorities said on May 23 that international arrivals for this year’s Hajj had passed 1.5 million, putting the figure above last year’s final foreign-pilgrim total before the pilgrimage itself begins. Saudi Gazette, citing officials, reported that more than 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad had reached the kingdom. (saudigazette.com.sa) AFP and other outlets reported the same threshold and said it exceeded the 2025 international-arrivals figure. (spa.gov.sa) The 2025 comparison point is clear. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics said on June 5, 2025, that last year’s Hajj drew 1,673,230 pilgrims in total, including 1,506,576 from outside the kingdom and 166,654 domestic pilgrims. (spa.gov.sa) That means the new 2026 arrivals count has already moved past last year’s external total, though it is not yet a full Hajj attendance count. ### What exactly does the 1.5 million figure measure? The 1.5 million figure refers to pilgrims arriving from outside Saudi Arabia, not the final number of all pilgrims who will perform Hajj this year. Saudi officials and media reports described it as the count of foreign pilgrims already in the kingdom ahead of the main rites. (saudigazette.com.sa) GASTAT’s 2025 release shows why that distinction matters. Last year’s total Hajj figure included both external pilgrims and domestic pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia, so the final 2026 total will almost certainly be higher than the current arrivals number once internal pilgrims are added and the pilgrimage concludes. (spa.gov.sa) ### Why is the comparison being made against 2025? The 2025 foreign-pilgrim total is the most recent official benchmark available. GASTAT said 1,506,576 pilgrims came from abroad for Hajj 1446 AH, and that number has been used by current reports to show that 2026 arrivals have already edged above last year’s external tally. (saudigazette.com.sa) Saudi authorities had been publishing rolling arrival counts through the 2025 pre-Hajj period. On May 28, 2025, the General Directorate of Passports said 1,180,306 pilgrims from abroad had arrived by the end of Tuesday, with 1,115,663 entering by air, 60,365 by land and 4,278 by sea. (spa.gov.sa) ### Did regional conflict disrupt the pilgrimage flow? Regional conflict remained part of the backdrop to this year’s Hajj coverage. AFP-based reports said arrivals topped last year’s level despite war in the Middle East and travel disruption linked to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. (spa.gov.sa) Saudi authorities had started this year’s arrival process on April 18. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said flights that day came from countries including Pakistan, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Thailand, with about 30 flights processed through the kingdom’s entry system. (spa.gov.sa) ### Have officials given a country-by-country breakdown? The reports available on May 23 and May 24 did not provide a full nationality breakdown alongside the “over 1.5 million” figure. Some secondary reports cited country-specific contingents, but the core official and wire accounts centered on the overall arrivals count and security and logistics preparations. (brecorder.com) Saudi officials have separately outlined the scale of the Hajj operation. At a government press conference on May 13, Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser said the transport system was operating 110 plans with 46,000 personnel for the season, while an SPA report on the same briefing said more than 860,000 pilgrims had been welcomed by that point. (spa.gov.sa) ### When will the final 2026 Hajj total be known? Saudi Arabia usually publishes the definitive Hajj count after the pilgrimage reaches its main stage. In 2025, GASTAT released the final total on June 5, corresponding to 9 Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH. (saudigazette.com.sa) This year’s arrivals began on April 18, 2026, according to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and the next major official milestone will be the post-Hajj statistics release that separates pilgrims from abroad from those inside the kingdom. (spa.gov.sa 1) (spa.gov.sa 2) (spa.gov.sa 3)