Saudi Arabia: 420,000 workers, volunteers mobilised to serve 1.67 million Hajj pilgrims

Dubai: More than 420,000 individuals from Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors, including security forces, supported the 1,673,230 pilgrims who performed Hajj, according to newly released data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

Of those who served pilgrims, 92 per cent were men and 8 per cent were women.

Among the total workforce, 34,540 volunteers contributed more than 2.1 million hours of service at the holy sites during the Hajj season.

The volunteers, male and female, worked across a wide range of support areas, including health, logistics, and pilgrim assistance.

The report also noted the continued success of the “Mecca Route Initiative,” which allowed 314,337 pilgrims, approximately 21 per cent of all foreign pilgrims, to complete immigration procedures before departing from their home countries.

The initiative currently serves travelers from eight nations and is a key component of Saudi Arabia’s broader Hajj facilitation reforms.

Of the total 1.67 million pilgrims this year, 1.5 million were international pilgrims arriving through air, land, and sea ports, while 166,654 were domestic pilgrims, including both Saudi citizens and residents. The gender distribution was nearly even: 877,841 men and 795,389 women.

GASTAT emphasized that the data was drawn from Ministry of Interior administrative records and processed using a methodology developed and refined over the past five years.

Addditionally, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s Compliance Center conducted more than 70,000 field inspections, reviewing facilities ranging from pilgrim housing to central kitchens.

Also, the “Nusuk Care” initiative, launched as part of Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation efforts, delivered more than 845,000 direct services to pilgrims, including healthcare, psychological counseling, and language support. More than 3,000 volunteers were assigned across 107 contact points and six major logistical tracks.

In recognition of their efforts, the Supreme Hajj Committee issued digital certificates of appreciation to all 420,070 Hajj workers through the Tawakkalna app, developed by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

The certificates were distributed via the Tasreeh platform, in what officials described as the first such digital acknowledgment program for Hajj personnel.

-- Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE