Map of Oman | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background:


top of page


Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and the UAE

Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 309,500 km²
Land: 309,500 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: twice the size of Georgia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,561 km
Border countries: (3) Saudi Arabia 658 km; UAE 609 km; Yemen 294 km

Coastline: 2,092 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Elevation
Highest point: Jabal Shams 3,004 m
Lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 310 m

Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

Land use
Agricultural land: 4.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 4.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 95.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,079 km² (2020)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 130 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 240 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.55 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 1.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: consists of Oman proper and two northern exclaves, Musandam and Al Madhah; the former is a peninsula that occupies a strategic location adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil


top of page


Population
Distribution: the vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north of the country; another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south; most of the country remains sparsely poplulated: 3,833,465 (2023 est.)
Note: immigrants make up approximately 46% of the total population (2019)
Growth rate: 1.8% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Omani(s)
Adjective: Omani

Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African

Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Swahili, Urdu, Indian dialects
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim 85.9%, Christian 6.4%, Hindu 5.7%, other and unaffiliated 2% (2020 est.)
Note: Omani citizens represent approximately 56.4% of the population and are overwhelming Muslim (Ibadhi and Sunni sects each constitute about 45% and Shia about 5%); Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists account for roughly 5% of Omani citizens

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 29.88% (male 586,608/female 558,770)
15-64 years: 66.17% (male 1,404,289/female 1,132,250)
65 years and over: 3.95% (2023 est.) (male 70,976/female 80,572)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 42
Youth dependency ratio: 38
Elderly dependency ratio: 4
Potential support ratio: 25.2 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 27.9 years
Female: 26 years

Population growth rate: 1.8% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 21.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 3.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north of the country; another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south; most of the country remains sparsely poplulated

Urbanization
Urban population: 88.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.650 million MUSCAT (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater resources; high levels of soil and water salinity in the coastal plains; beach pollution from oil spills; industrial effluents seeping into the water tables and aquifers; desertificaiton due to high winds driving desert sand into arable lands
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 34.88 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 63.46 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 5.6 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.24 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.16 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 17 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 75.2 years
Female: 79.2 years

Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 29.7% (2014)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 97.9% of population
Improved total: 99.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 2.1% of population
Unimproved total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.3% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 1.77 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 8% (2020 est.)
Male: 15.5% (2020 est.)
Female: 0.4% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.2% (2016/17)

Education expenditures: 5.4% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.7%
Male: 97%
Female: 92.7% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 15 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 11.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 29.6%


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
Conventional short form: Oman
Local long form: Saltanat Uman
Local short form: Uman
Former: Sultanate of Muscat and Oman
Etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but it apparently dates back at least 2,000 years since an "Omana" is mentioned by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.) and an "Omanon" by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.)

Government type: absolute monarchy

Capital
Name: Muscat
Geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name, whose meaning is uncertain, traces back almost two millennia; two 2nd century A.D. scholars, the geographer PTOLEMY and the historian ARRIAN, both mention an Arabian Sea coastal town of Moscha, which most likely referred to Muscat

Administrative divisions: 11 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafaza); Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Buraymi, Al Wusta, Az Zahirah, Janub al Batinah (Al Batinah South), Janub ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah South), Masqat (Muscat), Musandam, Shamal al Batinah (Al Batinah North), Shamal ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah North), Zufar (Dhofar)

Dependent areas

Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

National holiday: National Day, 18 November; note - celebrates Oman's independence from Portugal in 1650 and the birthday of Sultan QABOOS bin Said al Said, who reigned from 1970 to 2020

Constitution
History: promulgated by royal decree 6 November 1996 (the Basic Law of the Sultanate of Oman serves as the constitution); amended by royal decree in 2011
Amendments: promulgated by the sultan or proposed by the Council of Oman and drafted by a technical committee as stipulated by royal decree and then promulgated through royal decree; amended by royal decree 2011, 2021

Legal system: mixed legal system of Anglo-Saxon law and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Oman
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces by law cannot vote

Executive branch
Chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister HAYTHAM bin Tariq Al Said (since 11 January 2020); note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister HAYTHAM bin Tariq Al Said (since 11 January 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 5 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the 9-member Supreme Judicial Council (chaired by the monarch) and appointed by the monarch; judges appointed for life
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Administrative Court; Courts of First Instance; sharia courts; magistrates' courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders: none; note - organized political parties are legally banned in Oman, and loyalties tend to form around tribal affiliations

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Moosa Hamdan Moosa AL TAI (since 17 February 2021)
In the us chancery: 2,535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 745-4,933
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Leslie ORDEMAN (since August 2023)
From the us embassy: P.C. 115, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Muscat
From the us mailing address: 6,220 Muscat Place, Washington DC 20,521
From the us telephone: [968] 2,464-3,400
From the us FAX: [968] 2,464-3,740
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three horizontal bands of white (top), red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band; white represents peace and prosperity, red recalls battles against foreign invaders, and green symbolizes the Jebel al Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility

National symbols: khanjar dagger superimposed on two crossed swords; national colors: red, white, green

National anthem
Name: "Nashid as-Salaam as-Sultani" (The Sultan's Anthem)
Lyrics/music: Rashid bin Uzayyiz al KHUSAIDI/James Frederick MILLS, arranged by Bernard EBBINGHAUS
Note: adopted 1932; new lyrics written after QABOOS bin Said al Said gained power in 1970; first performed by the band of a British ship as a salute to the Sultan during a 1932 visit to Muscat; the bandmaster of the HMS Hawkins was asked to write a salutation to the Sultan on the occasion of his ship visit

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 5 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


top of page


Economy overview: high-income, oil-based economy; large welfare system; growing government debt; citizenship-based labor force growth policy; US free trade agreement; diversifying portfolio; high female labor force participation

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 36.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 26.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 27.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 51.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -46.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 46.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 51.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: dates, tomatoes, vegetables, goat milk, milk, cucumbers, green chillies/peppers, watermelons, sorghum, melons

Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber

Industrial production growth rate: 1.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 2.259 million (2021 est.)
Note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 11.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 29.6%

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $29.334 billion (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $35.984 billion (2018 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -13.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 31.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:
Note: excludes indebtedness of state-owned enterprises

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 46%, India 8%, Japan 6%, South Korea 6%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, iron (2021)

Imports:
Partners: United Arab Emirates 36%, China 10%, Japan 7%, India 7%, United States 5% (2019)
Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, gold, iron (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 8.601 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 32,320,020,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.717 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 115,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 115,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 978,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 234,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 779,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 5.373 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 229,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 33,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 6,041 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 36,596,746,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 24,279,419,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 13,798,040,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 1,605,959,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 651.286 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 76.321 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 191,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 29.682 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 46.447 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 292.022 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 563,172 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,115,537 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-run TV broadcaster; TV stations transmitting from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Yemen available via satellite TV; state-run radio operates multiple stations; first private radio station began operating in 2007 and several additional stations now operating (2019)

Internet
Country code: .om
Users total: 4.32 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 508,949 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2020 est.)


top of page


Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note 1: the Sultan’s Special Forces and the ROP Special Task Force are Oman’s primary tactical counterterrorism response forces
Note 2: in addition to its policing duties, the ROP conducts many administrative functions similar to the responsibilities of a Ministry of Interior in other countries

Military service age and obligation: 18 for voluntary military service for men and women (women have been allowed to serve since 2011); no conscription (2023)

Space program
Overview: has a nascent space program focused on the acquisition of satellites and satellite ground support infrastructure; contracts with foreign commercial companies for development of space capabilities, such as satellites and telecommunications infrastructure (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 57
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 10,438,241 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 510.43 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: A4O

Airports: 132 (2021)
With paved runways: 13
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 119
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 3 (2021)

Pipelines: 106 km condensate, 4,224 km gas, 3,558 km oil, 33 km oil/gas/water, 264 km refined products (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 60,230 km (2012)
Paved: 29,685 km (2012) (includes 1,943 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 30,545 km (2012)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 57 (2022)
By type: general cargo 11, other 46

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Mina' Qabus, Salalah, Suhar
Container ports teus: Salalah (4,510,000) (2021)
Lng terminals export: Qalhat


top of page


Disputes international: Oman-Saudi Arabia: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 5,000 (Yemen) (2017)

Illicit drugs