General Authority for Statistics: Total Number of Hajj Pilgrims in 1440 AH is 2,489,406, a 4.96% Increase Over Last Year; Kingdom Provides Over 350,000 Employees to Serve Them Of these, 1,855,027 pilgrims are from abroad, and 634,379 are from within the Kingdom GASTAT: The total number of pilgrims for the 1440 AH Hajj season is 2,489,406, an increase of 4.96% from last year; the Kingdom has provided over 350 thousand employees to serve them. [Total Number of Hajj Pilgrims] The General Authority for Statistics published number for Hajj on the year 1440 AH on Saturday, 9 Dhu al-Hijjah: a total of 2,489,406 pilgrims, 1,855,027 of which come from outside the Kingdom, 634,379 from within; 67% of pilgrims are non-Saudi. The number of male pilgrims out of the total was 1,385,234, and 1,104,172 were female. The total number of pilgrims in 1440 AH compared with the number of pilgrims last year (1439 AH), it is clear that the number has increased this by 117,731, since 1439’s total came-up to 2,371,675. [Foreign Pilgrims] In regards to pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom, the number hailing from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was 31,884 (2%), Arab countries sans the GCC 414,750 (22%), Asian countries excepting Arab countries 1,126,633 (61%), African countries sans Arab states 187,414 (10%,), European countries 67,054 (4%), and North America, South America, and Australia 26,892 (1%). A total of 1,741,568 pilgrims arrived from outside Saudi Arabia through airports, while 96,209 of them arrived via land; seaports accounted for 17,250 pilgrims. Their arrival at Saudi Arabia varied by time; 614,919 arrived from outside of the Kingdom from the start of the season until 18 Dhu al-Qaada; 808,311 arrived from 19 to 29 Dhu al-Qaada; and a further 431,797 arrived from 1 to 8 Dhu al-Hijjah. [Local Pilgrims] In regards to pilgrims from within the Kingdom, which totaled 634379 pilgrims this year (including those residing temporarily there for Hajj), the number of non-Saudis was 423,376, with a further 211,003 Saudis. The Authority has limited the number of pilgrims coming to Mecca from within the Kingdom of Saudis and non-Saudis through the Hajj Statistics Centers located at the entrances to Mecca. The percentage of pilgrims coming from within the Kingdom through the Jeddah – Mecca highway was 34.7%; those through the Mecca-Holy Places road made-up 27.7%, the Mecca-Medina saw was 19.3%; and the three remaining roads—South-Mecca, Taif-Mecca, and old Jeddah-Mecca—made-up 15.7%. In addition, arrivals by way of the Haramain High Speed Railway train reached 2.6%. The General Authority for Statistics in its statistics for this year revealed that 7, 8, and 9 Dhu al-Hijjah saw the arrival of 82.5% of total local pilgrims coming to Mecca; cars entering Mecca this year totaled 39,978. [Manpower in Hajj] In regards to manpower during Hajj across all sectors, over 350,830 served during the 1440 AH Hajj season, representing over 47 governmental and private entities and 353 main and subservices. The total manpower supervising and conducing follow-up services to Hajj came from 6 bodies and 6336 employees; those working with general Hajj services were 257,763 from 21 bodies; the total manpower in the health and medical services was 30,908 and employee from three bodies; manpower providing pilgrim transport, post and logistics services (shipping, postal and logistics) hit 38,750 employees from eight destinations; ICT manpower hit 7,098 employees from four bodies; and 9,975 volunteers served the elderly and worked in guidance, pilgrims relations, translation, and in the health and media. [Statistical Methodology for Counting Pilgrims Numbers] The General Authority for Statistics said it uses a comprehensive counting method for all local pilgrims; using centers located at the entrances to the city of Mecca, the Authority counts the actual pilgrims inside. Foreign pilgrims are counted by the General Directorate of Passports, as mentioned previously, whose employees are present at all ports—land, sea and air. In addition, pilgrims from the city of Mecca are assessed by the General Authority for Statistics in periodic surveys. President of the General Authority for Statistics HE Dr. Fahad bin Sulaiman Altekhaifi thanked all security and governmental personnel conducting its Hajj mission this year. He praised the contributions made by more than 520 field researchers from the General Authority for Statistics, who completed the tasks assigned to them in the Hajj this year after working around the clock from the first of this month until today’s sunset (Day of Arafat). At the conclusion of all work related to GASTAT’s pilgrimage statistics program, the Authority prays that Allah accept the pilgrimage of all who came to Hajj, and to reconcile the efforts of all security and government agencies, plus all others in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who provide outstanding services for pilgrims.

The statistical record of Hajj 1440 AH, which was issued by the General Authority for Statistics on Friday   Al-Tkheefi: Statistical data for government services and counting the numbers of pilgrims and indicators of the management of the Hajj works are included in the "Statistical Register" of Hajj 1440 AH The General Authority for Statistics launched on Friday, Ghurat Dhu al-Hijjah 1440 AH, the statistic record for this year's Hajj season through its official website, which showed the dates of publication of the statistics of services provided by the government entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the guests of Allah, in addition to the statistics of the pilgrims inside and outside, and a set of statistical indicators for the management of the work of the Hajj related to the data of the journeys of the passengers of the Haramain and the Al Mashaer train, and vehicles on the main roads of Mecca and Al Mashaer Al Mogaddasah and human density. Dr. Fahd bin Sulaiman Al-Tkheefi, Chairman of the General Authority for Statistics, explained that the statistical record, through its statistics, figures, data and smart indicators, is the summary of the statistical data that will be issued by the Authority during the Hajj season, and resulting from the implementation of three statistical projects in partnership with government and private entities working in the Hajj. The statistical register aims to clarify the efforts provided by more than 40 government and private entities to the pilgrims, where through the statistical register of Hajj on the official website of the Authority, the statistics of supervision and follow-up services, public services statistics, and health services statistics provided to the pilgrims, in addition to the transport services statistics, telecommunication and information technology services statistics, will be announced successively. And these services will be provided by the following entities: Makkah emirate, Madinah emirate, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Ministry of Commerce and Investment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,  General Authority for Statistics, General Authority of Customs, Food and Drug Authority, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Communications and Information Technology Commission, Control and Investigation Commission in Makkah region, Makkah Development Authority, Saudi Red Crescent Authority, General Security, General Directorate of Passports, General Directorate of Civil Defence, National Information Center, General Presidency of the Holy Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Secretariat of Holy Capital, Jeddah Municipality, Makkah Electricity Company, Makkah and Taif Business Unit of National Water Company, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Supreme Commission for the Control of Pilgrims Transport, Saudi Post Corporation, Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association, Saudi Arabian Airlines, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah Islamic Port, mobile and Internet operators, and a number of private entities concerned with providing services to the guests of Allah.   After that, the numbers of the inside pilgrims from the seventh day of Dhu Al-Hijjah will be published periodically every six hours until the total number of pilgrims from inside and outside is announced on the evening of Arafa on the ninth day of Dhu Al-Hijjah, God willing. Al Tkheefi added that the Authority will issue the detailed bulletin of Hajj statistics on the morning of the tenth anniversary of the month of Dhu Al-Hijjah 1440 AH. Al Tkheefi also confirmed that all the data of the statistical register will be available through the official website of the Authority in the specified times according to the dates of the register in open formats to support the research centers and studies and the media to benefit from them and publish them.

Over 7000 Employees Working Around the Clock to Provide Telecommunications Services and Prepare 68 Offices GaStat: There are 13,776 Towers to Ensure Good Cellphone Coverage and 5G Technology in Mecca and the Holy Places for Pilgrims To raise the efficiency of ICT services in Mecca and the Holy Places, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology deployed 5G technology during this year’s Hajj in Mecca, Medina, and the Holy Places, providing pilgrims with quality services. The ministry launched the second phase of the Smart Hajj initiative, which offers a number of applications, platforms and digital and awareness services. This year, the initiative included a volunteer training platform for pilgrims, a virtual reality platform to instruct pilgrims abroad on performing rites, as well as a platform for smart phone applications that would make it easier for pilgrims to benefit from a number of application during their journey. As per the statistics of the 1440 AH Hajj, provided to pilgrims by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the General Authority for Statistics, the total number of employees providing telecommunications and IT services to pilgrims during the season this year reached 7098 employees, working around the clock to provide advanced and adequate communications services. The Communications and Information Technology Commission supervises all services provided to the guests of Rahman in coordination with licensed telecommunications and IT service providers.  There is a total of 68 telecommunications offices in Mecca. The total number of mobile towers in the Great Mosque, Mecca, Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat and Medina was 13,776 towers, ensuring mobile communication coverage, data coverage, and coverage of land, sea and airports, roads, and Meeqaths with full telecommunication and internet services; In regards to services provided, the Mecca branch of the Communications and Information Technology Commission in Mecca periodically checks sound and Internet indicators and verifies their effectiveness, surveys mobile network bandwidth between the Two Holy Mosques, monitors highways linking Mecca, Jeddah and Medina to ensure mobile service quality, addresses any harmful interference affecting network performance, and allows the use of temporary usage of certain frequencies for each mobile operator to increase network capacity and improve the level of services provided to pilgrims in Mecca, Medina, and the Holy Places.  Authorized telecom operators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are located in more than 68 points of sale across the Holy of Places to provide SIM cards, data, and top-up cards, in addition to providing technical support centers in various languages to serve pilgrims.  The General Authority for Statistics provides many details through the Hajj statistics register for 1440 AH, created to publish all statistics related to Hajj services provided by the government agencies to pilgrims, through its official website at www.stats.gov.sa