Indonesia Climbs to Second Place in World's Muslim-Friendly Destinations
Indonesia has climbed to second place in the 2026 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) ranking of Muslim-friendly destinations worldwide. After placing fifth last year, Indonesia now shares the second spot with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, each achieving a score of 79. Malaysia continues to hold the top position with a score of 83, while Qatar ranks fifth with 76.
The Mastercard-CrescentRating report noted that Indonesia recorded one of the largest ranking improvements this year. Its score rose by three points compared to the previous year, enabling it to jump three levels from fifth to second place.
CrescentRating Founder and CEO Fazal Bahardeen stated that the number of international Muslim traveller trips is expected to continue growing in the coming years. “In 2025, the number of international Muslim traveller trips reached 196 million. That figure is projected to increase to 208 million in 2026 and reach 262 million by 2030,” Fazal said during the GMTI 2026 launch in Singapore on Thursday (18/6/2026).
According to him, this growth is supported by the world’s steadily increasing Muslim population. By 2036, the Muslim population is estimated to reach 2.57 billion, or nearly 29 percent of the global population. Around 70 percent of them are under 40 years old and are active users of digital technology.
Fazal assessed that competition among Muslim-friendly travel destinations is no longer determined solely by the availability of halal facilities. The presence of information and services within the digital ecosystem has become an increasingly important factor in attracting travellers. “Destination competition has shifted from merely the availability of facilities to the ability to be visible within the digital ecosystem,” he said.
He cautioned that destinations unable to digitally present information about Muslim-friendly services risk not appearing in artificial intelligence (AI)-based recommendations. Therefore, the digitalisation of services and information has become a necessity for destinations wishing to compete in the global Muslim travel market.
Indonesia’s rise in the rankings demonstrates the increasingly fierce competition among Muslim-friendly destinations globally. Amid the growth in the number of Muslim travellers worldwide, Indonesia now sits behind Malaysia and alongside Saudi Arabia and Turkey on the list of the world’s best Muslim-friendly destinations.