Riyadh: Nearly 2 million Muslims are anticipated to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage in 2026 as Saudi Arabia continues to witness a rise in pilgrim arrivals and intensifies its preparations for the upcoming season. Saudi authorities have implemented expanded organizational and security measures to efficiently manage the annual pilgrimage, including the use of advanced surveillance technologies and crowd-monitoring systems to ensure smooth pilgrim movement and prevent unauthorized access to holy sites. According to Anadolu Agency, Saudi authorities announced that more than 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad had already arrived in the Kingdom, primarily through air entry points. Earlier this month, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al Rabiah stated that they expect the attendance to reach nearly 2 million by the end of the season. The official Saudi statistics reveal a fluctuating trend in Hajj pilgrim numbers over recent years. In 2012, over 3 million pilgrims performed Hajj, marking one of the highest numbers re corded in modern history. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the numbers significantly dropped in 2020 to around 10,000 as the Kingdom imposed strict limitations. In 2021, participation was restricted to 58,745 Saudi citizens and residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As global travel restrictions began to ease in 2022, nearly 1 million pilgrims were allowed to perform Hajj. The numbers rebounded to more than 1.8 million in 2023, nearing pre-pandemic levels, with 1,833,164 recorded in 2024 and 1,673,230 in 2025. The Hajj pilgrimage, a fundamental aspect of the Islamic faith, is a ritual that every Muslim must perform at least once in their lifetime if financially viable.