Population and Demographics

Oman is the world's easternmost Arabian country. The majority of Omanis are Arabs, although there are sizable Baloch and Swahili minorities. As in most other of the smaller, oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab countries, a large number of foreign workers live there, mostly from India and Pakistan. The official language is Arabic, but the minorities speak their own languages. A non-Arabic Semitic language Bathari is spoken in Dhofar.

Islam is the predominant religion, mostly Ibadiyya, with a Sunni population in Dhofar. The largest religious minority are the Hindus, who account for 13% of the population.

In Oman, about 50% of the population lives in Muscat and the Batinah coastal plain northwest of the capital; about 200,000 live in the Dhofar (southern) region, and about 30,000 live in the remote Musandam Peninsula on the Strait of Hormuz. Some 600,000 expatriates live in Oman, most of whom are guest workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, and the Philippines.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 3,102,229
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 675,423/female 648,963)
  • 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 1,001,917/female 695,578)
  • 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 44,300/female 36,048)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 19 years
  • Male: 21.7 years
  • Female: 16.5 years
• Population Growth Rate: 3.28%
• Birth Rate: 36.24 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 3.81 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.44 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.25 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 21.65 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 16 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 73.37 years
  • Male: 71.14 years
  • Female: 75.72 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 5.77 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 1,300
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Arab
  • Baluchi
  • South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi)
  • African
• Religions:
  • Ibadhi Muslim 75%
  • Other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25%
• Languages:
  • Arabic (official)
  • English
  • Baluchi
  • Urdu
  • Indian dialects
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 75.8%
  • Male: 83.1%
  • Female: 67.2%