Indonesia’s Hajj Waiting List Reaches 25 Years Long Due To Growing Demand

The number of Indonesian Muslims on the waiting list to perform the Hajj pilgrimage has reached 5.4 million and continues to grow annually, government officials revealed on Saturday.

As the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia is allocated an annual Hajj quota of approximately 200,000 pilgrims. At this rate, the waiting period currently stretches to at least 25 years.

“We must find a way to address this issue and assist Indonesian Muslims in fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam through Sharia-compliant banking services,” said Fadlul Imansyah, head of the Hajj Fund Management Agency (BPKH).

Official statistics indicate that the registered would-be pilgrims represent only 0.31 percent of Indonesia’s 210 million Muslims. However, data from the Central Statistics Agency shows that at least 17 million Indonesian Muslims are both physically and financially prepared to undertake the pilgrimage.

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar attributed the lengthy waiting list to the limited capacity of key locations in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities.

“If Mina, Arafat, the Kaaba, and [Saudi] airports had unlimited space, we wouldn’t need to discuss this issue tonight,” the minister explained.

He also pointed to the rapid growth of the global Muslim population, which now stands at 2.2 billion, as a contributing factor.

The Indonesian government has previously lobbied Saudi Arabia for an increased Hajj quota.

Last year, the country successfully secured an additional 20,000 slots, raising the total to 221,000 pilgrims.

However, Nasaruddin acknowledged that he has avoided further lobbying due to the sensitivity of such negotiations between the two nations.

Due to the prolonged waiting period, many Indonesian Muslims have sought alternative pathways to perform the Hajj, including applying through other countries such as the Philippines and China.

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