Oman Secures Top Spot in West Asia and Ninth Globally in Open Data

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has achieved the highest rank in West Asia and placed ninth globally in open data, as reported by the Open Data Watch. This organization oversees an index assessing the availability of open data on the websites of national statistical institutions and is recognized by the United Nations Statistical Commission. According to Oman News Agency, the report indicates Oman's remarkable advancement, having climbed ten positions in 2024 compared to 2022. Oman now ranks ninth among 197 nations worldwide, improving from 19th out of 195 in 2022, with an increased score of 84 points in 2024, up from 74 points two years prior. Oman stands third globally in data openness, as per the 2024 Open Data Inventory report, which evaluates the nation's open data across social, economic, and environmental sectors, covering 22 thematic areas. The report highlights Oman's excellence in specific statistical fields, achieving full marks in areas such as population and vital statistics, health infrastructur e, foreign trade, money and banking, and openness indicators like machine-readable data, non-proprietary formats, and open licensing. There has been a significant improvement in data coverage, with Omani economic statistics showing notable progress-rising from 65 points in 2022 to 77 points in 2024. This improvement is attributed to strengthened databases in money and banking, foreign trade, and balance of payments, all achieving perfect scores in coverage. Price indices saw a notable increase from 50 to 88 points. Oman's score in economic statistics rose from 76 in 2022 to 89 in 2024, primarily due to enhancements in money and banking statistics, which increased from 75 to 100 points. Price index databases also experienced growth, from 72 to 94 points. Statistical frameworks for foreign trade achieved 100 points, balance of payments 94 points, and labour force data 90 points, as noted in the report. Oman demonstrated higher openness and coverage values across most available statistical sectors on its data portal, with significant progress observed in social statistics. The overall sector score rose to 83 points last year from 74 in 2022, due to improved population, vital statistics, and health infrastructure databases, all scoring perfectly. The report places Oman among over 80% of countries that improved their performance, while the global index experienced its highest growth since inception at 12.5%. Oman stands out as a regional leader in developing and disseminating official data in accordance with international best practices. The National Centre for Statistics and Information reiterated its commitment to supporting open data policies and enhancing data readiness for research and planning, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and supporting Oman's renewed renaissance.