Monday 10 / February / 2025
Muscat: Expatriate population is higher than Omanis in Muscat Governorate at the end of 2022, according to a report in the Statistical Year Book for August 2023 released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The 51st issue of the year book, said that the Wilayat of Bausher in the Muscat Governorate had the highest number of expatriates registered with 319,921 while the Wilayat of Seeb had the maximum registered Omanis with 268,580.
The total population of expats at the end of 2022 were 2,066,239 while Omanis were 2,867,611. There was a significant rise of expats from 2021 when there were 1,723,329. The total population of Oman at the end of 2022 was 4,933,850. The population of Oman has already crossed the 5 million mark earlier this year.
Muscat Governorate had the maximum population of expatriates registered with 837,732 while the Omanis in the governorate accounted for 563,724.
The second highest population of expatriates in the Sultanate of Oman was recorded in Al Batinah North Governorate with 295,460 in 2022, a sharp increase from 231,705 in 2021. The governorate was also home to highest number of Omani population in 2022 with 576,554, edging Muscat, which had 563,724.
The largest gap of the demographic equation in the Muscat Governorate was in the Wilayat of Bausher followed by the Wilayat of Muttrah. Expatriates outnumbered the nationals by 227,298 in Bausher, and by 143,950 in Muttrah.
The emerging suburb of Wilayat of Al Amerat had more Omanis than expatriates as there were 47,355 more nationals in the wilayat with 93,555 Omanis as compared to 46,200 expatriates.
The coastal town of Quriyat had 49,001 Omanis and only 14,005 expatriates. The expatriate population in Muscat Governorate had increased by nearly 80,000 in a year’s time with the population recorded in 2021 to be 756,645 as compared to 837,732.
With the Wilayat of Bausher emerging as the major destination for expatriates, one of the leading member of a social club attributed it to a larger availability of new multi-storey buildings, affordable rents and proximity to malls and market and work places.
Sirajul Hoque, Bangladesh Social Club Oman Chairman, told Times of Oman: “A large number of Bangladeshi workers stay in Bausher area as several companies have come up in that area in the recent years.”
“Hamriya still remains the favourite place for people from Bangladesh but over the recent years, we have seen a large working population more towards commercial areas like Al Khuwair, Ghubra, Azaiba and Ghala,” he added.
Dhofar Governorate was the other governorate where expatriate outnumbered nationals. The expatriate population was 260,196 while the Omanis total was 226,173. The governorate has witnessed a sharp rise in expatriates’ of nearly 60,000 over the past two years with 200,512 in 2021 and 201,956 in 2020. The Omanis population was 220,523 (2021) and 215,564 (2020) respectively.
In the 11 governorates of Oman, the only other governorate where expatriates outnumbered locals were in Al Wusta Governorate with 33,337 expatriates as compared to 26,121 nationals.
Omanis dominated in the other eight governorates with the maximum recorded population in Al Batinah Governorate with 576,554 as compared to 295,460 expatriates.
Al Batinah South Governorate also had significant nationals residing with 370,029 as compared to 147,997 expatriates.
Al Sharqiyah South and Al Sharqiyah North also had Omani population of 237,454 and 202,421 respectively.
The expatriates population grew in the two governorates from 2021 with 98,811 (76,925 in 2021) in Al Sharqiyah North and 112,294 (90,740 in 2021) in Al Sharqiyah South.
Al Dhahirah Governorate recorded 169,902 Omani nationals in 2022 while expat numbers were 62,956.
Al Dhakiliyah Governorate had a high Omani population of 384,818 whereas expatriates were 148,876 in 2022 and in the north, in the Governorate of Musandam the Omanis accounted for 35,346 while expatriates were 17,878, the lowest number in a governorate in Oman.
Al Buraimi Governorate had Omanis total 75,058 while expatriates were at 50,702.
For statistical record, the lowest number of expatriates in Oman were recorded in the Wilayat of Muqshin in Dhofar Governorate with 216 followed by Wilayat of Dalkut with 585.
