Oman's foreign investment stock climbs 6.4% to $84 billion

Summary

• Foreign direct investment in Oman reached 32.211 billion rials, or $84.23 billion, by end-June.
• Oil and gas extraction holds 25.823 billion rials, roughly 80% of the total stock.
• Britain remains the largest investor, with American, Chinese and Kuwaiti holdings all rising.

The latest

Foreign direct investment held in Oman rose 6.4% year-on-year to about 32.211 billion rials, or $84.23 billion, by the end of the second quarter. The preliminary figures were published by the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Hydrocarbons still dominate the stock, while financial intermediation posted the fastest growth of any sector tracked.

Details

• The headline figure: The National Centre for Statistics and Information put the total stock of foreign direct investment at 32.211 billion Omani rials, equivalent to $84.23 billion, at the close of the second quarter. That is a 6.4% increase on the same period of 2025. The data was described as preliminary.
• Oil and gas: Oil and gas extraction absorbed the largest share, at 25.823 billion rials or $67.52 billion, growing 5.7% year-on-year. That single sector accounts for roughly four-fifths of all foreign investment held in the sultanate, leaving the headline growth figure heavily dependent on the energy industry.
• Manufacturing second: Manufacturing ranked second among sectors with 2.829 billion rials, or $7.39 billion, up 4.7% on the comparable period a year earlier. Its growth rate trailed both the national average and the oil and gas sector, according to the statistics centre.
• Fastest growth: Financial intermediation came third by size but first by pace, with foreign direct investment of 1.601 billion rials, or $4.18 billion, expanding 18.4% year-on-year. That is nearly three times the overall rate of increase recorded across the economy.
• Britain leads: The United Kingdom kept its position as the largest source country, with holdings of 16.766 billion rials, or $43.84 billion, at the end of the second quarter. British investment grew 6.6%, slightly above the national average, and represents more than half the total stock on its own.
• United States: American investment in Oman rose 7.3% to 8.685 billion rials, or $22.71 billion, the fastest increase among the four source countries listed. Combined, British and American holdings account for the overwhelming majority of foreign direct investment recorded in the sultanate.
• Gulf and Asia: Kuwaiti investment edged up 1.7% to 1.384 billion rials, or $3.61 billion, the slowest growth among the countries named. Chinese holdings rose 5.8% to about 904 million rials, or $2.364 billion, leaving Beijing the smallest of the four investors cited in the data.
• What was not published: The statistics centre did not break out investment flows for the second quarter alone, nor did it identify which projects or companies drove the increases. No figures were given for sectors outside oil and gas, manufacturing and financial intermediation, or for source countries beyond the four listed.

Background

Oman has pursued a diversification programme aimed at reducing dependence on hydrocarbons, courting foreign capital into manufacturing, logistics and financial services. The quarterly investment stock data published by the National Centre for Statistics and Information is the main official gauge of how far that effort has reached.

Between the lines

The composition of the stock matters more than its growth rate. With oil and gas at 25.823 billion rials against 2.829 billion in manufacturing, diversification has barely dented the structure of foreign capital in Oman. The 18.4% jump in financial intermediation is the clearest signal of movement, but from a base of 1.601 billion rials it would take years of similar expansion to shift the overall balance meaningfully.

What's next

The National Centre for Statistics and Information is expected to publish third-quarter investment stock data, which will show whether financial intermediation sustains its 18.4% pace and whether non-hydrocarbon sectors gain share.

Source: Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), citing Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information