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Reported figures

Ziyarat in Numbers

Arbaeen marks forty days after Ashura, the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) in Karbala. It draws one of the largest gatherings of people anywhere in the world. These are the figures announced by the bodies that count them.

Reported figures

Ziyarat in Numbers

Arbaeen is one of the largest annual gatherings on Earth. Here is what the shrine and government counting bodies reported, with the scope of each count and a link to its source.

These figures come from different counting bodies using different methods. They describe separate things, so please do not add them together or read one as a share of another.

How each figure is counted

  1. Arbaeen 2026 · 1448 AH: total attendance

    19,999,870 reported visitors to Karbala

    Visitors counted arriving at Karbala’s main entrances and the shrine gates by the Al-Abbas (AS) Holy Shrine’s electronic counting system for the Arbaeen season. Announced on 20 Safar 1448 (4 August 2026).

    Al-Kafeel Global Network, 4 August 2026(opens in a new tab): Al-Abbas (AS) Holy Shrine announces the number of visitors for Arbaeen 1448 AH

  2. Arbaeen 2025 · 1447 AH: total attendance

    21,103,524 reported visitors to Karbala

    Visitors counted by the same electronic system on the routes into Karbala and at the shrine gates. Announced on 20 Safar 1447 (15 August 2025).

    Al-Kafeel Global Network, 15 August 2025(opens in a new tab): Al-Abbas (AS) Holy Shrine announces the number of visitors participating in Arbaeen

  3. Arbaeen 2025 · 1447 AH: foreign arrivals

    Over 4.1 million foreign pilgrims from 140 countries

    Pilgrims from outside Iraq, as reported by Iraq’s Ministry of Interior. This is a count of arrivals for the season, not of unique individuals, and it is a separate dataset from the Karbala totals.

    Imam Hussain (AS) Holy Shrine, 17 August 2025(opens in a new tab): Ministry of Interior: Over four million foreign pilgrims from 140 countries join Arbaeen

Reading the figures carefully

  • The Karbala totals and the foreign-arrival figure come from different counting bodies. They should not be added together or turned into percentages.
  • Electronic counts record entries at gates and on routes. One person who enters more than once may be counted more than once.
  • Foreign arrivals are counted for the whole season and are not a count of unique individuals.
  • We round large figures on the cards and show the exact announced figure above where one was given.

Checked against each source on 15 October 2026.

Planning to be part of it

Start with the guide to the Shrine of Imam Hussain (AS), the map of Karbala's holy sites and the planning guide.