Hajj pilgrim arrivals exceed 2025 levels ahead of annual pilgrimage

More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from abroad for the 2026 Hajj, a Saudi official announced on Friday, exceeding the number of international visitors recorded for the same period last year.

The figure comes despite the Middle East war triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, which disrupted Gulf air travel and pushed costs sharply higher.

How many pilgrims are going to Hajj in 2026?

As of Friday, 1,518,153 pilgrims had arrived from outside Saudi Arabia, according to Saleh Al-Murabba, commander of Saudi Arabia's Hajj Passport Forces.

That figure already exceeds the 1,506,576 international pilgrims recorded for the full 2025 Hajj season. Numbers are expected to rise further over the coming days as arrivals continue ahead of the formal rituals beginning on Monday.

How did the Middle East war affect Hajj pilgrim arrivals?

The conflict saw Tehran order waves of strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, prompting widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations.

Major airlines in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain worked to restore operational capacity after weeks of disruption, and travel costs surged as a result. Despite those complications, pilgrims continued to travel to Saudi Arabia in significant numbers.

Last year, the total number of pilgrims at the Hajj reached 1,673,320, including 1,506,576 from outside the kingdom. The 2026 total is expected to approach or surpass that figure once all arrivals are counted.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for all Muslims who have the means to perform it at least once in their lifetime.