GASTAT: Number of Umrah Performers Rose by 31% in Q4 2024

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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GASTAT: Number of Umrah Performers Rose by 31% in Q4 2024

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), in its report on Umrah statistics for the fourth quarter of 2024, revealed on Thursday that the number of Umrah performers increased by 31% compared to the same quarter in 2023.

The report showed that males constituted about 53% of the Umrah performers, while females accounted for 47%. Saudi nationals comprised 4.5% of the total, with the Makkah Region recording the highest number of domestic Umrah performers.
The report also indicated a 26.2% increase in international Umrah performers compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Of these, 64.7% arrived with an Umrah visa. December saw the highest number of international Umrah performers at 38.2%, while November recorded the highest percentage of domestic Umrah performers completing the ritual for one time, representing 34% of the total.
Umrah statistics have been issued quarterly since 2024, detailing the numbers and percentages of domestic and international Umrah performers based on data from the Pilgrim Experience Program, along with approved statistical models.



Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Israeli Attack on Syria's Koya 

Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent help locals evacuate the town of Koya in the western countryside on the Syrian border with Israel, after Israeli forces shelled the town, Syria, 25 March 2025. (EPA)
Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent help locals evacuate the town of Koya in the western countryside on the Syrian border with Israel, after Israeli forces shelled the town, Syria, 25 March 2025. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Israeli Attack on Syria's Koya 

Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent help locals evacuate the town of Koya in the western countryside on the Syrian border with Israel, after Israeli forces shelled the town, Syria, 25 March 2025. (EPA)
Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent help locals evacuate the town of Koya in the western countryside on the Syrian border with Israel, after Israeli forces shelled the town, Syria, 25 March 2025. (EPA)

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Tuesday Israel for attacking the Syrian town of Koya that left at least six people dead.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministery reiterated the Kingdom's firm rejection of Israel's continued attempts to undermine Syria and the region's security and stability through blatant and repeated violations of international law.

It expressed the Kingdom's solidarity with Syria in the face of the unjustified Israeli aggression. Moreover, the Kingdom stressed the need for UN Security Council member states to take a serious and firm stance against these ongoing violations and activate international accountability mechanisms.