Makkah Ranks 5th, Madinah 7th Most Visited Cities in World in 2025
- Saudi Arabia received more than 19.5 million pilgrims from abroad, made up of 18.03 million Umrah pilgrims and 1.5 million Hajj pilgrims.
- Saudi Arabia welcomed 19.5 million pilgrims from abr- Makkah ranked fifth and Madinah ranked seventh among the world’s most visited cities by international visitors in 2025.
- Hajj satisfaction reached 91% and Umrah satisfaction reached 94%, both above Vision 2030 targets.
Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program has published its annual report for 2025, titled “Honor and Impact.” The program is part of Saudi Vision 2030 and covers the services provided to Hajj and Umrah pilgrims from planning through to their return home.
Global Rankings for Makkah and Madinah
Makkah ranked fifth in the world among cities for international visitor numbers. Madinah ranked seventh worldwide in the tourism performance index.
Pilgrim Numbers
The report recorded 19.5 million pilgrims arriving from abroad in 2025. Of these, 18.03 million came for Umrah and 1.5 million for Hajj. The number of Umrah pilgrims has grown 114% since 2022.
Satisfaction Scores Rise
Hajj satisfaction reached 91% in 2025, while Umrah satisfaction reached 94%. Both figures are above the targets set under Saudi Vision 2030.
At the Rawdah Al-Sharif inside Masjid an-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque), more than 16 million people visited during the year. Satisfaction among these visitors rose to 88%, up from 57% in 2022.
Initiatives and Partner Entities
The Guests of God Service Program carried out 87 initiatives in 2025, working with more than 60 partner entities. All 87 initiatives were completed, giving the program a 100% completion rate for the year.
Historical Sites and Volunteers
The number of qualified historical and cultural sites in Makkah and Madinah rose to 87 during 2025. These sites recorded more than 55 million visits combined.
More than 184,000 male and female volunteers took part in serving pilgrims during the year.
Visa Numbers by Country
A total of 15.03 million visas were issued in 2025 for Umrah, visits, and other purposes. Umrah visas made up 83% of this total.
Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt were the top three countries for the number of Umrah visas issued.
