The government is increasingly focused on preventative care as Oman’s health care budget almost doubled for 2014, reaching $3.34bn. Rising rates of obesity and diabetes are among the chief challenges facing the sector as lifestyle changes bring rates for obesity in line with developed Western countries. While government spending accounts for about 78.7% of total health expenditure in the...
Oman has witnessed a dramatic improvement in enrolment and the duration spent in full-time education thanks in large part to reforms introduced in 1995 and 1998, which required 10 years of basic education and extended the number of school days from 160 to 180. In 1996 the government launched a programme to promote the development of private higher education institutions in the country,...
Arrivals at Muscat International Airport grew from 7.56m in 2012 to reach 8.31m in 2013, and this rising trend looks set to continue as the sultanate rolls out infrastructure development plans and increases its offerings for visitors. Across the country smaller airports are undergoing expansion that will allow larger planes to land, while rail development in the sultanate will see 2244 km of...
Major investment in the telecoms and IT sector from both the public and private sectors has expanded coverage in Oman, with the number of pre-paid mobile subscribers reaching 5.37m in the first half of 2014. The government has recognised the potential of a vibrant IT sector and in line with its objective to diversify the economy away from hydrocarbons has marked the development of the sector...
Achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture and fisheries sector is driving expansion in Oman as the government finances a number of initiatives and invests in key infrastructure that will strengthen the sector moving forward. Adding value through processing is a key goal with the Oman Sugar refinery company’s 2013 announcement of a $200m sugar processing plant in Sohar a key point in this...
The Omani retail sector has grown by 7% since 2011 and continues to expand, as large construction projects, predominantly malls and hypermarkets, look set to add more retail space to the sector. The rise in the number of shopping malls, currently numbering 16 in Muscat alone, has coincided with a shift in spending patterns as the population becomes wealthier, while an increasing number of high...
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