MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman has long been home to expatriates from various nationalities, and in recent years, certain groups have seen significant growth in their numbers.
Notably, the number of Sudanese expatriates increased by 110 per cent, reaching 24,080 between September 2023 and 2024. The number of expatriates from Myanmar increased by 64.4 per cent to 31,166, while those from Tanzania increased by 43.2 per cent to 22,196, and Egyptians by 10.6 per cent to 44,317, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
Currently, there are 656,789 Bangladeshis, 505,824 Indians, 303,777 Pakistanis, 44,891 Filipinos and 25,260 Sri Lankans living in Oman. Additionally, 148,376 expatriates fall under the category of others.
The total number of expatriate workers in Oman was 1,808,672 at the end of September, compared to 856,488 Omanis. The private sector employs 1,420,587 expatriates and 413,946 Omanis, while the government sector employs 42,300 expatriates compared to 378,414 Omanis.
The majority of expatriates are employed in the construction sector (442,916), wholesale and retail trade (273,537), manufacturing (182,148), and accommodation and food services (130,090). The Sultanate of Oman is ranked very high for purchasing power, safe healthcare and quality of life, according to Numbeo, the global database that measures data for quality of life data that takes into account various factors that impact one's quality of life, including purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, commute times and climate conditions.
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