Government and power in Oman
Who leads Oman, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary absolute monarchy (sultanate).
Who leads Oman?
- Head of state: Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik (Sultan of Oman)
- Head of government: Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik (Sultan of Oman)
- Foreign minister: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi (Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Oman score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 37.4 out of 100 in 2025, 147th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 37.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 42.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Oman score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 76 out of 100 in 2025, 63rd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 54). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 76.2.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Oman score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 60.1 out of 100 in 2025, 64th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 50.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 53.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Oman score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 67.4 out of 100 in 2025, 38th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 47.6). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 66.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Oman score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 66.9 out of 100 in 2025, 61st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 52.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 62.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Oman score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 58.2 out of 100 in 2025, 61st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 37.9). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 48.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Oman's parliament?
Women held 0.0% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 182nd highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Oman's ministers are women?
Women held 13.0% of ministerial posts in 2025, 139th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Oman spend on the military?
Military spending was 5.7% of GDP in 2025, 8th highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Oman?
Armed forces personnel numbered 47,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Oman's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 59.2 out of 100 in 2024, 136th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Oman?
100.0% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2018).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Oman use the internet?
95.3% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Oman
Parliament
- Shura CouncilPublishes sessions, draft laws reviewed and the list of elected members.
- State CouncilPublishes sessions, studies and membership of the appointed chamber.
Elections
- Elections portal (Ministry of Interior)Publishes voter registration, candidate information and results of Shura and municipal elections.
Public audit
- State Financial and Administrative Audit InstitutionPublishes information on audits of public bodies and annual activity reports.
Public contracts
- Secretariat General for Tenders (e-tendering)Publishes open government tenders and award results on its public dashboard.
Laws and the official gazette
- Ministry of Justice and Legal AffairsPublishes the Official Gazette, Royal Decrees and Omani legislation.
Government below the national level
- Governorates (11): Governor (muhafidh) appointed by royal decree; municipal council with appointed members plus elected members, chaired by an appointed chair
- Wilayats (63): Wali appointed through the Ministry of Interior
Places in Oman
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.