Muscat – The Sultanate of Oman recorded a mixed but generally positive performance in foreign trade in 2025, with growth in non-oil exports and re-export activities, supported by government efforts to revitalise ports, enhance industrial exports and stimulate production sectors.
According to statistics issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total value of Oman’s foreign trade stood at RO40.4bn last year, compared with RO41.7bn in 2024. The slight decline was mainly due to a fall in oil export revenues.
The value of Omani merchandise exports reached RO23.2bn in 2025, down 7.1% from RO25bn in 2024, largely reflecting lower oil export receipts. Imports also declined during the year. However, non-oil commodity exports posted growth of 2.7%, rising from RO16.7bn in 2024 to more than RO17.1bn last year.
Non-oil exports rise 7.5%
The NCSI’s monthly statistical bulletin showed that non-oil exports increased to around RO6.7bn in 2025, compared with RO6.2bn in 2024, representing growth of 7.5%.
Products from chemical and related industries, metals and metal products, plastics, and machinery and electrical equipment were among the leading non-oil export categories.
In terms of trading partners, the United Arab Emirates remained the largest destination for Omani non-oil exports, with shipments exceeding RO1.311bn, up 25.3% from RO1.046bn in 2024.
Exports to Saudi Arabia rose from RO849mn to RO1.067bn, while exports to India increased by 6 per cent to around RO700mn, compared with RO659mn a year earlier.
Meanwhile, non-oil exports to South Korea and the United States declined by 26.1% and 13.3%, respectively.
Re-export activities recorded robust growth of 20.3%, rising from RO1.708bn in 2024 to RO2.056bn in 2025.
The United Arab Emirates also topped the list of destinations for re-exports, accounting for 35.2% of Oman’s total re-export trade. The value of goods re-exported to the UAE reached RO724mn last year, compared with RO569mn in 2024, marking growth of 27.2%.
Iran ranked second, with re-exports valued at RO365mn, reflecting a modest increase of 1.6 per cent.
Oil exports decline
Oil export revenues fell to RO14.5bn in 2025 from RO17.1bn in 2024, a decrease of 15.2%. The decline was attributed to a drop in the average price of Omani crude to $71 per barrel, compared with $80.8 per barrel in 2024.
Total oil exports amounted to 307.9mn barrels last year, slightly lower than 308.4mn barrels in 2024.
At the same time, average daily oil production rose from 992,600 barrels per day in 2024 to more than one million barrels per day in 2025.
