Umrah pilgrim numbers soar by 35% to 6.2 million in Q3 2024

A total of 6,254,751 persons performed Umrah during the third quarter of 2024, in an increased by 35per cent as compared to the same quarter of 2023, according to a report of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The overall number of pilgrims who conducted Umrah, both local and international, were 6,254,751 in July, August and September. According to the report, male made up 57.4 percent of the total pilgrims, while female travelers made up 42.6 percent. During the quarter, 10.7 per cent of all Umrah pilgrims were Saudi nationals.

According to the data, there were 3,348,512 foreign Umrah performers overall, a 29.2 percent increase over the third quarter of 2023. Male pilgrims made up 51 percent of them (1,707,514), while female travelers made up 49 percent (1,638,743).

In the third quarter of 2024, there were 2,906,239 domestic Umrah pilgrims, a 42.4 percent increase over the same period in 2023. Among them, 2,234,510, or 76.9 percent, were non-Saudis, while 671,729, or 23.1 percent, were Saudi nationals.

There were 1,883,199 male domestic pilgrims, or 64.8 percent of the total, and 1,023,040 female pilgrims, or 35.2 percent. According to the report, the largest percentage of foreign Umrah pilgrims (17.6%) were between the ages of 35 and 44, while the smallest percentage (9.2%) were over 65. Similarly, 29.2 percent of domestic pilgrims were in the 30- to 39-year-old age range.

Throughout the quarter, 2,295,747 domestic pilgrims completed the Umrah rites; 64% of them were men and 36% were women. With 40.1 percent of all pilgrims performing Umrah for the first time from within the Kingdom, August had the largest number of such pilgrims.

The forms of visas for international pilgrims in Q3 2024 were also clarified by the study. Of them, 2.9 percent had a Gulf visa, 6.6 percent had an electronic visit visa, 29.7 percent had other visas, and 60.8 percent had an Umrah visa.