Saudi Arabia's 2025 pilgrim numbers top 19.5 million; Makkah and Madinah achieve global milestones

Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 19.5 million pilgrims from abroad in 2025, including 18.03 million Umrah pilgrims and 1.5 million Hajj pilgrims, according to the Guests of God Service Program's 2025 annual report, "Honor and Impact." The number of Umrah pilgrims increased by 114 percent compared with 2022.

Key highlights include:

• Hajj satisfaction reached 91%, while Umrah satisfaction rose to 94%, exceeding Saudi Vision 2030 targets.
• Makkah ranked fifth globally among cities with the highest number of international visitors, while Madinah placed seventh in the global tourism performance index.
• More than 16 million people visited Rawdah Al-Sharif at the Prophet's Mosque, with visitor satisfaction increasing to 88% from 57% in 2022.
• The program implemented 87 initiatives with over 60 partner entities, achieving 100% implementation compliance.
• The number of qualified historical and cultural sites in Makkah and Madinah increased to 87, attracting more than 55 million visits.
• More than 184,000 volunteers participated in serving pilgrims during the year.
• Saudi Arabia issued 15.03 million visas for Umrah, visits and other purposes, with Umrah visas accounting for 83% of the total. Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt received the highest number of Umrah visas.