Oman’s expat population sees significant drop in numbers since March

Merge 104.8  |  23 June 2020

Recent data from Oman’s National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) has indicated that the Sultanate’s expatriate population has witnessed a substantial decline in numbers from March to May 2020 amid the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Cover image for illustrative purposes only. Source: Shutterstock

As per the NCSI, the total number of expats in the Sultanate fell from 1,662,113 as of March 2020, to 1,622,241 by May 2020 — a drop of nearly 40,000 people.

Currently Bangladeshi nationals comprise the largest numbers among Oman’s expat population at 599,713 in May — a drop down from 630,681 in December 2019. Indian expatriates comprise the second largest number of expats at 582,076 in May — down from 617,730 in December 2019.

Pakistanis make up the third-largest expat group in the Sultanate with a population of 197,155 as of May 2020 — down from 207,288 in December 2019. And numbers of Filipino expats in Oman now stand at 48,020 — down from 49,456 in December 2019.

As per the NCSI, as of June 21, 2020, Oman’s total expat population stood at 40.80 per cent of the country’s overall total population.

(Also read: COVID-19: Over 4,400 expat work permits cancelled in Oman during May.)