TIMES JAZIRAH, MADINAH – Indonesia has been listed as the top 4 largest countries in terms of the number of pilgrims to Mecca for Hajj season 2023. This year the number of pilgrims raised from 221.000 seats last year to 229.000 seats by this time. 

This increase was initiated by the government of Saudi Arabia as their intention to show the good relationship between two countries. It was known that the true countries has built a stronger bond from time to time. 

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Muhammed Abdurrahman Al-Bijawi, expressed his commitment to provide the best service to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. One of the efforts made is the streamlining of immigration procedures to expedite the arrival process of the pilgrims.

Every year, the Saudi Arabian Government allocates certain number of seats to every country in the world who willing to send their pilgrims to this holy city for muslim. It was intended to control the number of pilgrims coming allowing them to perform their rituals comfortably.

Each year, every country has received a different amount of seats provided by the government Saudi Arabia. And the raising seats for Indonesian pilgrims indicates a significant increase in Indonesia's Hajj quota from year to year.

Meanwhile, other countries have much lower Hajj quotas compared to Indonesia. And here are the top 4 list of best number to have such honor from the government of Saudi Arabia.

Four Countries with the Highest Hajj Seats in 2023 from the lowest to the highest

1. Indonesia

Indonesia leads with the highest Hajj quota in 2023, which is 221,000 pilgrims. This number consists of 203,320 regular pilgrims and 17,680 special pilgrims. The Saudi Arabian Government, through the Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, emphasized its commitment to ensuring the security and comfort of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims during their pilgrimage.

2. India

The Indian government has announced a Hajj quota of 175,025 pilgrims for 2023, in accordance with the cooperation between the two countries. This step was taken after various interactive sessions conducted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs of India with stakeholders to meet the demand for the restoration of Hajj seats.

3. Pakistan

Pakistan's Hajj seats for 2023 has doubled from the previous year when quota reductions were still in effect. The country now has a quota of 179,210 Hajj pilgrims. In 2022, Saudi Arabia also implemented rules that significantly reduced the number of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.

4. Bangladesh

Bangladesh has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia, allowing 127,198 Bangladeshi pilgrims to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year. This seats has increased significantly from the previous year when Bangladesh received a quota of 60,000 pilgrims due to pandemic restrictions.

The departure phase of Hajj 2023 began on May 21 and will continue until June 22. The next phase will start on July 2 until August 2. All the pilgrims will do their routine for 30 days more or less. (*)