Oman: Number of expats drops significantly

Dubai: The number of expats living in Oman has fallen significantly to less than 40 per cent of the country’s population, the first time such a large drop has been recorded in five years, local media reported.

According to data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information, as of 27 July 2020, expatriates in Oman constitute only 39.9 per cent of the country’s total population of 4,536,938.

Foreign nationals now make up just 1.81 million of the population, while Omanis account for 2.725 million.

The highest expatriate numbers in the past five years was on April 26, 2017, when they accounted for 46 per cent of the population.

On that day, there were 2.1 million expatriates and 2.49 million Omanis, with the total population of the country amounting to 4.6 million people.

Data from the NCSI shows that more than 45,000 expats have left Oman in the last month alone.

According to the centre’s monthly statistical bulletin, the total population in the country at the end of June was 4,578,016, while on 27 July, it was 4,536,938.

The number of expats during this period decreased from 1,858,516 to 1,811,619, pointing to a reduction of 46,897.

Expat numbers also dropped by a further 37,000 between May and June 2020.

At the end of May, the country’s expat population stood at 1,895,986, decreasing by 37,470 people to reach 1,858,516 by the end of June.