Makkah & Madinah Rank Among World's Top 10 Cities for Visitors

Makkah and Madinah ranked among the world's top 10 cities for international visitors in 2025, placing fifth and seventh respectively in the tourism performance index, according to the Doyof Al-Rahman (Guests of God) Service Program's 2025 annual report.

The report showed that Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 19.5 million international pilgrims during the year, including 18.03 million Umrah pilgrims and 1.5 million Hajj pilgrims. The number of Umrah pilgrims increased by 114% compared with 2022.

Pilgrim satisfaction remained high, with 91% of Hajj pilgrims and 94% of Umrah pilgrims reporting positive experiences. At the Rawdah Al-Sharif in the Prophet's Mosque, more than 16 million visitors were received during 2025, while visitor satisfaction reached 88%, up from 57% in 2022.

The programme also reported issuing 15.03 million visas for Umrah, visits and other purposes, with Umrah visas accounting for 83% of the total. Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt received the highest numbers of Umrah visas.

According to the report, 87 initiatives were implemented during 2025 in partnership with more than 60 entities, while the number of qualified historical and cultural sites across Makkah and Madinah reached 87, attracting more than 55 million visits. More than 184,000 volunteers also participated in serving pilgrims throughout the year.