Hajj is a religious pilgrimage to holy cities of Makkah & Madina which is carried out by Muslims from around the world. Recently PTI government faced opposition due to increase in Hajj charges but do you know the cost is still lower than Bangladesh & India.
Hajj from Pakistan is still the cheapest in South Asia after the current increase in the price of hajj packages.
Among these Asian countries the cheapest and lowest charges for Hajj in 2019 is from Indonesia, the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world. The Hajj quota for Indonesia is also the biggest among countries with 221,000 hajj pilgrims.
The comparison of Hajj prices on government quota for Bangladesh, India, Indonesia & Pakistan is as follows:
Country | Local Currency | Dollar ($) | Pakistani Currency (Rs.) |
Bangladesh | Tk 3,44,000 | $4,089 | Rs. 572,062 |
India | INR 233,000 | $3,275 | Rs. 458,277 |
Indonesia | Rp 35,235,602 | $2,500 | Rs. 350,738 |
Malaysia | RM 9,980 | $ 2,448 | Rs. 342,390 |
Pakistan | Rs. 426,795 | $ 3,050 | Rs. 426,795 |
The cost for Hajj from Bangladesh is highest despite the fact that the per capita income in Bangladesh is lowest among these countries.
The price for the package in Pakistan was also among lowest in Asia but recent devaluation of Pakistani currency, higher taxes in Saudi Arabia and end of subsidy increased the Hajj cost in Pakistan.
In Pakistan according to the new Hajj Policy pilgrimage will cost Rs. 426,975 for Southern region and Rs. 436,975 for Northern region.
Some countries in Asia such as Singapore and Brunei Darussalam charge far more for the pilgrimage. It is believed to be due to the economic situation of these countries.