How many days does it take to earn enough money to pay for the haj?
With another haj season over, rising accommodation and flight costs continue to be blamed for increasingly expensive privately-run haj tours, with prices from markets such as Britain tripling this decade. Yet state subsidies in many Asian countries are helping make the pilgrimage cheaper for citizens.
Is haj affordable?
Taking nominal GDP per capita figures from the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, Salaam Gateway calculated the length of time it would take to earn enough money to pay for the cheapest state-run haj package, or cheapest private tours in countries where such trips are unavailable. For India, the price we use is an average of government-subsidised packages that charge different airfares depending on the departure point.
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Matt Smith