Salalah: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Salalah: The unemployment rate in Dhofar Governorate, which contains Salalah, was 2.6% in 2025 (1.2% for men and 9.2% for women), against 3.1% for Oman. The National Centre for Statistics publishes this by governorate only. That is 6th lowest of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
- Health in Salalah: Dhofar Governorate, which contains Salalah, had 11 government hospitals with 711 beds and 3 private hospitals with 102 beds in 2025; Oman had 62 government hospitals (6,962 beds) and 36 private hospitals (1,854 beds).
- Education in Salalah: Dhofar Governorate, which contains Salalah, had 239 schools, 3,831 classes, 91,639 students and 8,123 teachers in 2025/2026 (government, private and international schools, including kindergartens).
What is the population of Salalah?
The Wilayat of Salalah (Dhofar Governorate) had 430,294 registered residents at the end of December 2025, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information: 169,093 Omanis and 261,201 expatriates. That is 8.0% of the 5,359,557 people in Oman. That is 3rd highest of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow many expats live in Salalah?
In the Wilayat of Salalah, 39.3% of registered residents were Omani and 60.7% expatriates at the end of 2025; across Oman the split was 56.7% Omani and 43.3% expatriate. That is 3rd least Omani of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyIs the population of Salalah growing?
The registered population of the Wilayat of Salalah was -0.0% on a year earlier (430,363 at end-2024) and +3.0% on two years earlier (417,891 at end-2023); Oman as a whole was +3.8% over the two years. That is 10th fastest-growing of 19 wilayats covered on this site.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow crowded is Salalah?
Dhofar Governorate had 532,897 people at the end of 2025 on 99,062 square kilometres, a density of 5.4 people per square kilometre against 17.3 for Oman. The Wilayat of Salalah accounts for 81% of the governorate's population.
Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information (Oman) · saved copyHow big is Salalah compared with other wilayats?
The registered population of the Wilayat of Salalah (430,294) was 10.7% 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 Seeb 594,155
- Bawshar 445,240
- Sohar 293,446
- Barka 249,479
- Mutrah 225,926
- 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
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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…)
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