Makkah has registered a 10 per cent drop in the number pilgrims performing Umrah this season, receiving 1.8 million pilgrims compared to two million during the same period last year, said a report.

According to Abdullah Ghadi, deputy head of the National Committee for Haj and Umrah at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), the drop in pilgrim numbers is attributed to a number of factors including economic and political issues, a report in Saudi Gazette said.

The Ministry of Haj had set a target of 1.2 million pilgrims each month, but the average is only 800,000.

The countries that witnessed a drop include Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Libya and Iran. Only Egypt and Pakistan witnessed a 20 percent increase in the number of their pilgrims, Ghadi said.