# Hajj from Somalia: quota, cost and how pilgrims travel

> Hajj from Somalia: the 11,500 quota, package prices 2022 to 2026, licensed companies, departure airports, the Somali-Saudi committee and pilgrim numbers, with sources.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/hajj-from-somalia/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## A pillar of the faith

The pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj, Somali *xaj*) is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Library of Congress country study notes that, like almsgiving, it depends "upon one's ability to afford" it. It adds that many devout Somalis went to Mecca, "but many more would visit the tombs of the local saints", the local pilgrimage called *siyaaro* ([Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study, 1992](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/45.htm)). See [saints, shrines and siyaaro](/en/society/saints-shrines-and-siyaaro/).

Somalis have taken this road for centuries. Scholars from Zeila were studying in Cairo by the 1300s ([Al-Zayla'i, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Zayla%27i)), and in the 1800s Xaaji Cali Majeerteen of the [Nugaal](/en/regions/nugaal/) studied in Mecca and Baghdad ([Haji Ali Majeerteen, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Ali_Majeerteen)). [Sheikh](/en/regions/sheikh/) Cali Maye Durogba of [Merca](/en/regions/lower-shabelle/) joined the Ahmadiyya order while on pilgrimage and brought it home ([Library of Congress, 1992](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/47.htm)). See [Somali scholars and saints](/en/society/somali-sufi-scholars-and-saints/).

## The quota

Saudi Arabia agrees a yearly number of Hajj places with each country. In November 2025 Somalia's Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, [Sheikh Mukhtar Robow](/en/people/mukhtar-robow/) Ali, and the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, signed the 2026 agreement in Jeddah for **11,500** Somali pilgrims ([Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement-for-11500-pilgrims)).

## Pilgrim numbers

| Year (Hijri) | Pilgrims | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (1444) | 9,043 supported by the federal government | [US State Department, International Religious Freedom Report 2023, via ecoi.net](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2111587.html) |
| 2025 (1446) | about 11,500 expected; over 11,000 had reached Medina by 12 May | [SONNA, 12 May 2025](https://sonna.so/en/over-11000-somali-pilgrims-arrive-in-medina-for-hajj-1446) |
| 2026 (1447) | quota of 11,500 | [Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement-for-11500-pilgrims) |

## What it costs

The ministry sets one package price for all licensed companies.

| Season | Package price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US$5,500 to 6,000 | [Hajj Reporters, 5 January 2025](https://hajjreporters.com/?p=24110) |
| 2024 | US$4,434 | same source |
| 2025 | US$4,604 | same source |
| 2026 | capped at US$4,543.50 | [Goobjoog News, 18 October 2025](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-sets-price-cap-opens-registration-for-2026-hajj-pilgrims) |

The 2025 price covers transport, lodging and logistics in [Somalia and Saudi Arabia](/en/relations/saudi-arabia/). Hajj Reporters noted that the ministry blamed the rise on inflation and higher travel and hotel costs in Saudi Arabia, and that packages in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti can cost as little as US$1,600. Prime Minister [Hamza Abdi Barre](/en/people/hamza-abdi-barre/) criticised companies for inflating prices ([Hajj Reporters, 2025](https://hajjreporters.com/?p=24110)).

## How it is organised

- **Licensed companies.** For 2026 the ministry listed 71 approved Hajj companies on its website and told pilgrims to deal only with them. Companies must sign a service agreement with each pilgrim and register pilgrims through an official electronic system. No payment may be taken before the ministry announces the final fee, and unlicensed operators face legal action ([Goobjoog News, 18 October 2025](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-sets-price-cap-opens-registration-for-2026-hajj-pilgrims)).
- **Airports.** Pilgrims leave only from Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe and [Bosaso](/en/regions/bari/) (same source). In 2025 flights ran on a staggered schedule until 31 May ([SONNA, 2025](https://sonna.so/en/over-11000-somali-pilgrims-arrive-in-medina-for-hajj-1446)).
- **Airline.** In 2024 Daallo Airlines won the contract to carry Somali pilgrims, ahead of 10 other airlines ([Hajj Reporters, 2025](https://hajjreporters.com/?p=24110)). See [airlines in Somalia](/en/economy/airlines-in-somalia/).
- **Oversight.** A joint Somali-Saudi expert committee, set up in 2023, oversees health and safety, travel and service quality (same source). The ministry works with a Hajj operations committee and the Somali embassy in Saudi Arabia ([SONNA, 2025](https://sonna.so/en/over-11000-somali-pilgrims-arrive-in-medina-for-hajj-1446)). Somalia was ranked among the top four countries for Hajj service quality in 2025 and had its own pavilion at the Hajj Expo in Jeddah ([Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement-for-11500-pilgrims)).

## The Hajj season at home

The Hajj ends with Eid al-Adha (*Ciidul Adxa*) on 10 Dhu al-Hijja; by calculation it falls about 16 May 2027 ([Islamic calendar in Somalia](/en/society/islamic-calendar-in-somalia/)). The season is also the peak of Somalia's livestock exports to Saudi Arabia, since pilgrims need animals for the sacrifice. See [Ramadan and Eid in Somalia](/en/society/ramadan-and-eid-in-somalia/).

## Read further

- [Religion in Somalia in numbers](/en/society/religion-in-somalia-in-numbers/)
- [Islam in Somalia](/en/society/islam-in-somalia/)

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