Around 2.35 Million Pilgrims Perform Hajj This Year, Say Saudi Authorities

Millions of Muslims Gather Near Mecca at Height of the Hajj Pilgrimage

Makkah, MINA – The Saudi General Authority for Statistics announced Thursday that a total of 2.35 million pilgrims are performing Hajj rituals this year.

In a press statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the authority pointed out that this figure included 1.75 million pilgrims from abroad and 600,000 from inside the Saudi Kingdom.

The number of pilgrims from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are estimated at 32,600, making up nearly 1.86 percent of the total figure.

Non-GCC Arab pilgrims amounted to 388,000, about 21.86 percent. Pilgrims from the non-Arab Asian countries exceeded one million, or 59.5 percent, noted the statement.

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It added that about 186,800 pilgrims came from non-Arab African nations, nearly 10.67 percent.

Pilgrims from Europe hit 84,900, or 4.85 percent while pilgrims from the two Americas and Australia reached 22,260, about 1.27 percent.

A total of 1,643,896 pilgrims arrived by air; 88,850 by land; and 14,827 by sea.

As per gender, 1.33 million pilgrims are males compared with 1.02 million females, the authority said. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)