The Middle East Economy

Although relatively isolated in Oman’s southern region of Dhofar, the city of Salalah has become a major hub for trans-shipment. Built in the late 1990s, the Port of Salalah is Oman’s largest seaport and among the 30 biggest container ports in the world.

Located some 230 km north-west of Muscat, Sohar is the sultanate’s third largest city and an emerging economic centre in its own right. While the Port of Sohar, a deepwater industrial seaport in operation since 2004, is a key component of Sohar’s expanding economy, the nearby Freezone Sohar is becoming especially vital as well. The free zone is...

A significant portion of economic activity in Oman is concentrated in the country’s capital and nearby surrounding areas. A number of other regions in the sultanate, however, remain key drivers of economic growth and are playing an increasingly important role as the national economy matures and diversifies. Most notably, these areas include...

The provision of employment opportunities for Oman’s young population has become a primary concern of the government in recent years. While the sultanate has escaped the recent political turbulence that has afflicted other parts of the region, Oman’s median age of 24.1 (compared, for example, to a median age of 40.2 in the UK) underlines the...

Trade is an activity embedded in Omani history, crucial to facilitating the country’s past and present economic successes. In the past five years, Omani exports have seen impressive growth. Although in 2009 they dipped from OR14.5bn ($37.8bn) to OR10.6bn ($27.7bn) due in large part to global economic conditions, exports bounced back quickly. By...