Jakarta, MINA – The number of Indonesians waiting to perform the Hajj pilgrimage has reached more than 5.5 million people, with an annual quota from Saudi Arabia of only 220,000 pilgrims. This imbalance has pushed the waiting period to 27–30 years.
According to Fadlul Imansyah, head of the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH), the surge in applicants is not only due to limited quotas but also reflects growing economic capacity and stronger religious devotion among Indonesian Muslims.
“As of now, 5.5 million Indonesians are on the Hajj waiting list, while our quota is only 220,000 per year,” Fadlul said during a talk show in Jakarta titled Hijrah dan Hikmah Haji: Meraih Ketentraman Hidup dan Kuat Finansial (Hijrah and the Wisdom of Hajj: Achieving Inner Peace and Financial Strength).
He explained that dividing the total registrants by the annual quota shows why the average wait can stretch nearly three decades.
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Despite the challenge, Fadlul highlighted a positive aspect: “Many people can now save the initial Hajj deposit of Rp 25 million, which reflects improving public economic conditions alongside rising per capita GDP.”
He noted that in the past, people could save, register, and depart the following year, something no longer possible due to the massive queues. The long waiting period began to intensify after BPKH’s establishment in 2018, when public confidence in depositing and managing Hajj funds significantly increased.
Since then, registrations have surged, lengthening the queue to multi-decade waits.
As the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia continues to face overwhelming demand for Hajj each year. The government, through BPKH and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, is working to improve fund management and negotiate for larger quotas with Saudi Arabia. However, global limits on Hajj capacity mean that long waiting times are likely to persist.[]
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