44% of Oman’s population is children, 49.6% women

The number of children in the age group (0-17 years) is 1,221,751, constituting 44 per cent of the total Omani population, while the number of Omani women is 1,391,609, which is 49.6 per cent of the total Omani population of 2,804,117 as of the end of 2021, according to the Special Categories Bulletin for the year 2022 issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The Omani children population increased by 16 per cent between 2017 and 2021, with the highest percentage of them in the Governorate of North Al Batinah.

The bulletin also stated that the number of Omani youth in the age group of 18-29 years is 544,983 men and women, representing 19.4 per cent of the total population. Around 60 per cent of young Omani men are employed in the private and civil sectors. The number of elderly citizens (60 years and over) increased from 149,824 in 2017 to 154,405 in 2021, constituting 5.5 per cent of the total Omani population.

The bulletin also revealed that the number of Omani women by the end of 2021 was 1,391,609, which is 49.6 per cent of the Omani population during the same period.

As for the age-related fertility rates for Omani females, they decreased from 4 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-49 years) in 2017 to 3.4 per thousand women of childbearing age for the year 2021.

The bulletin also highlighted that 60 per cent of the total holders of a bachelor’s degree or higher are females and the illiteracy rate for Omani females decreased to 6.3 per cent in 2021, compared to 2017, when the rate was 6.8 per cent.

The number of Omani persons with disabilities reached 42,613 persons, constituting 1.5 per cent of the total population, with 61 per cent being males and 39 per cent being females. The highest percentage of persons with disabilities was concentrated in the Governorate of North Al Batinah (22 per cent), followed by Muscat (16 per cent), Al Dakhiliyah Governorate (13.9 per cent), and Al Wusta Governorate (0.6 per cent).