Bogor, W Java (Indonesia Window) – The total number of umrah (the minor hajj) pilgrims reached 6.499 million in 2021, with an increase of 11.61 percent over 2020, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has announced.

The data is in accordance with those obtained from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for domestic and abroad umrah pilgrimage performers.

The percentage of Saudi pilgrims reached 46.7 percent of the total domestic pilgrims, GASTAT confirmed, while it indicated that the percentage of the abroad pilgrims reached 0.19 percent, and the domestic pilgrims was 99.81 percent.

GASTAT pointed out that due to travel restrictions imposed in all countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, the total number of pilgrims abroad reached 12,653 pilgrims for the year 2021, recording a decrease of 99.7 percent from 2020.

The males represented 8,110 of the pilgrims by 64.1 percent, while the percentage of female pilgrims was 35.9 percent.

The age group from 40 to 49 years recorded the highest number of pilgrims from abroad, as their number reached about 6,138 pilgrims, or 48.5 percent of the total number of pilgrims from abroad. While the age group of 60 years and over recorded the highest number of pilgrims from abroad in 2020, amounting to 25.87 percent.

According to the ports of entry, the pilgrims abroad were distributed according to the type of the port by air by 100 percent. This year, there was a difference from the previous one, as the pilgrims abroad were distributed according to the type of the airport by 93.06 percent.

GASTAT confirmed that King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah recorded the highest port of entry with a rate of 89.5 percent, from which 11,326 pilgrims entered, followed by Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, through which 1,307 pilgrims entered, with a rate of 10.5 percent.

According to the period of the stay of the pilgrims from abroad, a two-week stay was recorded as the highest period, as the number of these pilgrims reached 8,383 with a rate of 66.3 percent. Meanwhile, the two-week stay period also recorded the highest period during 2020, as it reached 54.53 percent.

Source: Saudi Gazette

Reporting by Indonesia Window