Muscat: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Muscat: The unemployment rate in Muscat Governorate, which contains Muscat, was 1.4% in 2025 (0.7% for men and 3.6% for women), against 3.1% for Oman. The National Centre for Statistics publishes this by governorate only. That is joint lowest of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
- Health in Muscat: Muscat Governorate, which contains Muscat, had 15 government hospitals with 3,467 beds and 21 private hospitals with 1,278 beds in 2025; Oman had 62 government hospitals (6,962 beds) and 36 private hospitals (1,854 beds).
- Education in Muscat: Muscat Governorate, which contains Muscat, had 594 schools, 11,034 classes, 274,679 students and 21,636 teachers in 2025/2026 (government, private and international schools, including kindergartens).
What is the population of Muscat?
The Wilayat of Muscat (Muscat Governorate) had 45,167 registered residents at the end of December 2025, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information: 21,886 Omanis and 23,281 expatriates. That is 0.8% of the 5,359,557 people in Oman. That is the lowest of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow many expats live in Muscat?
In the Wilayat of Muscat, 48.5% of registered residents were Omani and 51.5% expatriates at the end of 2025; across Oman the split was 56.7% Omani and 43.3% expatriate. That is 5th least Omani of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyIs the population of Muscat growing?
The registered population of the Wilayat of Muscat was +24.5% on a year earlier (36,272 at end-2024) and -34.5% on two years earlier (69,008 at end-2023); Oman as a whole was +3.8% over the two years. That is the slowest-growing of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow crowded is Muscat?
Muscat Governorate had 1,532,486 people at the end of 2025 on 4,000 square kilometres, a density of 383.1 people per square kilometre against 17.3 for Oman. The Wilayat of Muscat accounts for 3% of the governorate's population.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow big is Muscat compared with other wilayats?
The registered population of the Wilayat of Muscat (45,167) was 1.1% of the combined population of the 19 Omani wilayats covered on this site, which together hold 75% of Oman.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyThe UN marks this figure as an estimate of lower reliability.
Cities of a similar size in Oman
- As Suwayq 214,198
- Ibri 188,862
- Saham 177,024
- Al Amrat 156,507
- Nizwa 148,746
- Al Rustaq 141,249
- Sur 129,511
- Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 125,828
- Al Buraymi 123,459
- Al Mussanah 117,335
- Bahla 103,066
- Al Mudaybi 98,498
Up a level: all cities in Oman · Oman · government and power
Sources
- National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman): Statistical Year Book 2026 (issue 54, data for 2025): Table 18-2, Schools, Classrooms, Students and Teachers by Governorate, 2025/2026 (pages 361-362), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 67371bf3473d…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.