ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pilgrims spent approximately Rs 139.16 billion on Hajj this year under the government scheme, according to official data.
According to the expenditure breakup, the expenses of pilgrims availing of the long Hajj (40 to 45 days) came to Rs 89.40 billion, while the cost of short Hajj (20 to 22 days) was estimated at Rs 49.76 billion.
Out of 119,210 Pakistanis who performed Hajj under the government plan, the number of people who preferred to take part in long Hajj amounted to 77,743, which made 65.2%, while 41,467 pilgrims preferred the short Hajj package, comprising 34.8% of total.
The per capita spending for the pilgrims participating in the long Hajj was estimated at Rs 1.15 million, while for the short Hajj, each person spent approximately Rs 1.2 million.
In addition, officials revealed that 50,114 women took part in Hajj under the government plan, which comprised 43.5% of total pilgrims, while 65,182 were male pilgrims, or 56.5%.
However, through analysis of the payments package, it was discovered that where the first installments were Rs 500,000 and Rs 550,000 for long Hajj and short Hajj respectively, the second installment was Rs 650,000, irrespective of whether one is a short Hajj or long Hajj pilgrim.
Additionally, choice of accommodation determined how much more money a pilgrim would pay, as two bed room accommodations added an additional amount of Rs 200,000, whereas three bed room accommodation added Rs 67,000 to the bill of every pilgrim.
They further stated that there were 60,000 private Hajj pilgrims whose expenses were in the range of Rs 1.2 million to Rs 4 million.
Hajj 2026: Over 1.7 million pilgrims from 165 countries complete pilgrimage
Moreover, more than 1.7 million Muslims performed the Hajj pilgrimage this year, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the authority said a total of 1,707,301 pilgrims completed the annual pilgrimage.
Of these, 1,546,655 pilgrims arrived from outside Saudi Arabia, representing 165 nationalities, while 160,646 domestic pilgrims included Saudi citizens and foreign residents living in the Kingdom.
The data also showed a near-even gender distribution among pilgrims, with 893,396 men and 813,905 women performing Hajj this year.
According to the statistics, the majority of international pilgrims arrived by air, with 1,485,729 traveling via flights. An additional 54,429 arrived by land routes, while 6,497 entered the Kingdom by sea.
The figures mark a slight increase compared to last year, when 1,673,230 pilgrims performed Hajj, according to official data.
The annual pilgrimage is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, drawing Muslims from across the globe to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia.
