Indonesian Hajj Queue Stretches On: History and Facts

Performing the Hajj pilgrimage for Muslims in Indonesia is no longer just a matter of financial and spiritual readiness, but also involves waiting times that can exceed two decades. The government has begun major reforms to the queuing system. President Prabowo Subianto stated that the waiting period, previously up to nearly half a century, has now been reduced. “We have strived, and alhamdulillah, the Hajj queue is no longer 48 years; starting from 2026, the longest Hajj queue will be 26 years,” Prabowo said during the Working Meeting of the Government and Members of the Red and White Cabinet at the Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4/2026). Prabowo emphasised that the government will continue to strive to make the waiting time for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims much faster. History of Hajj in Indonesia According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Hajj in Indonesia has been conducted since the late 19th century. At that time, Indonesian Hajj pilgrims were at the forefront in the struggle against colonialism. Here are some recorded events from the history of Hajj implementation in Indonesia: Main Problems of Hajj in Indonesia The main problem in organising Hajj in Indonesia lies in the disparity between the number of registrants and the available departure quotas. Data shows that provinces with the largest quotas, such as East Java, have only about 39,963 seats, while the total registrants exceed 1.13 million people. Similar disparities are seen in Central Java and West Java, where the queues reach hundreds of thousands to nearly one million prospective pilgrims. The size of Hajj quotas in various provinces is essentially derived from the national quota allocation set by the Saudi Arabian Government. Indonesia even holds the position as the country with the largest Hajj quota in the world. With more than 200,000 pilgrims per year, Indonesia surpasses other countries like Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, which also have large Muslim populations. Indonesian Government Solutions To address the long Hajj queues, the government, together with the DPR, agreed on reforms in the national quota distribution scheme by setting a more uniform departure waiting period of around 26 years across all provinces. This policy is based on changes in the quota distribution method, which now refers to the proportion of the waiting list of pilgrims in each region. In the discussions, the DPR assessed that this uniform approach considers the principle of justice, especially to eliminate extreme disparities between regions that previously could reach tens of years. A similar view was expressed in a study by the Constitutional Court, which stated that using a formula based on the queue would make the waiting period relatively the same across all provinces, namely around 26 years, while creating a fairer and more proportional distribution. With this scheme, the government seeks to balance the global quota limitations set by Saudi Arabia and the high number of domestic registrants. Although it cannot drastically reduce the queues, this policy serves as a compromise step to create certainty and justice for millions of prospective Indonesian Hajj pilgrims.