More than 15.2 million perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia during Q1 2026
Saudi Gazette, Makkah
Published: 24 Aug 2026, 01:42 AM
AFP File Photo
More than 15.2 million people performed Umrah during Q1 2026, with domestic performers accounting for around 9.5 million of the total, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
The total number
of Umrah performers reached 15,233,767, with males accounting for approximately
59.4 percent and females 40.6 percent. Saudi Umrah performers represented 28.9
percent of the overall total.
The number of
international Umrah performers reached 5,769,271, including 2,777,904 males and
2,991,367 females, accounting for 48.2 percent and 51.8 percent, respectively.
Airports were the
main entry point for international Umrah performers, accounting for 86 percent
of arrivals, compared with 13.6 percent through land ports and 0.4 percent
through seaports.
Meanwhile, the
number of domestic Umrah performers reached approximately 9,464,496, including
4,396,828 Saudis, or 46.5 percent, and 5,067,668 non-Saudis, representing 53.5
percent.
Male domestic
performers numbered approximately 6,265,810, accounting for 66.2 percent, while
females totaled around 3,198,686, or 33.8 percent.
Of the domestic
performers, 9,026,108 performed Umrah once, while 438,388 performed it more
than once, with the latter representing 4.6 percent of the total number of
domestic performers.
Around 75.4
percent of domestic performers performed the Umrah with their families, while
17.2 percent performed it individually and 7.4 percent did so with friends.
By region, Makkah
recorded the highest number of domestic Umrah performers at 4,066,669,
accounting for 43 percent of the total, followed by Riyadh with 2,026,029, or
21.4 percent.
The Northern
Borders Region recorded the lowest number at 41,718, representing 0.4 percent.
For international
performers, January recorded the highest monthly number at 2,237,418,
accounting for 38.8 percent, while March recorded the lowest at 1,390,130.
For domestic
performers, February recorded the highest number at 4,558,570, representing
48.2 percent of the Q1 total, while January recorded the lowest at 1,301,343.
Among
international Umrah performers, those aged 55–64 accounted for the largest
share at 18.8 percent, while the 0–14 age group had the lowest share at 8
percent.
Among domestic
performers, those aged 25–34 recorded the highest share at 25.3 percent, while
those aged 65 and above represented the lowest at 2.8 percent.
The report also
showed that the number of international visitors to Madinah reached 3,741,460
during the quarter, while domestic visitors for religious purposes totaled
1,984,193.
Of the domestic
visitors to Madinah, 975,278 were Saudis, accounting for 49.2 percent, while
1,008,915 were non-Saudis, representing 50.8 percent.