Hajj 2022 Costs Soar Across Arab World as Pilgrimage Resumes

Participation in the 2022 hajj will cost pilgrims more than usual. Qatar ranks first among Arab countries for the highest average cost for residents to perform the pilgrimage ($10,971), followed by the Emirates ($10,821) and Tunisia ($9,884), according to Al Jazeera. The average cost of the hajj is $9,000 in Lebanon, $7,698 in Morocco, $7,578 in Kuwait, $7,559 in Bahrain, $6,910 in Egypt, $6,234 in Palestine, $5,853 in Algeria, $5,447 in Sudan, $3,825 in Iraq, $3,700 in Syria, $3,416 in Yemen and $3,198 in Saudi Arabia. In Jordan and Oman, the pilgrim must pay $2,961 and $1,797 respectively, which represents the lowest average cost to participate in the 2022 hajj.

The rise in prices for the great pilgrimage is due to global inflation, a surge in the prices of flights and mandatory services necessary for the Hajj, as well as an increase in the VAT rate in Saudi Arabia - which hosts the sacred ritual - from 5% to 15%.