Private Enterprises Added Value Exceeds RO 8.1 Billion in Oman

Muscat: Data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) indicated a slight decrease of 0.8 percent in the number of active private enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman during the first quarter of 2026, reaching 265,918 enterprises, compared to 268,033 enterprises during the same period in 2025. Medium enterprises recorded the highest growth rate during the first quarter of 2026 at 6.7 percent, reaching 1,987 enterprises, compared to 1,862 enterprises during the same period last year. According to Oman News Agency, small enterprises ranked second with a growth of 4.8 percent, reaching 31,369 enterprises compared to 29,932 enterprises during the first quarter of last year. Large enterprises also recorded a 4.5 percent growth, reaching 762 enterprises, compared to 729 enterprises during the first quarter of 2025. In contrast, the number of micro-enterprises decreased by 1.6 percent, reaching 231,800 enterprises, compared to 235,510 enterprises during the same period last year. On the e conomic performance front, the total value added of the enterprises decreased by 1.7 percent, amounting to RO 8,105.2 million during the first quarter of 2026, compared to RO 8,247.5 million in the first quarter of 2025. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recorded a decline of 2.0 percent, reaching RO 10,293.2 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to RO 10,500.7 million during the same period last year. Regarding the value added according to enterprise size, micro-enterprises topped the growth rates, recording a 6.2 percent increase to reach RO 841,200,000, compared to RO 792,400,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Small enterprises came in second with a growth of 5.2 percent, with their value added reaching RO 702,200,000, compared to RO 667,200,000 during the same period last year. Medium enterprises also recorded a 3.1 percent growth in value added, reaching RO 654,900,000, compared to RO 635,300,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Conversely, the value added of large enterprises decreased by 4.0 perce nt, reaching RO 5,906.9 million compared to 6,152.6 million during the same period of the previous year. As for the number of workers, the total number of workers in active private enterprises increased by 0.9 percent during the first quarter of 2026, reaching 1,822,317 workers, compared to 1,806,245 workers in the same period of 2025. Medium enterprises led the growth in the number of workers with an increase of 7.9 percent, bringing their total workforce to 165,195 workers, compared to 153,094 workers during the first quarter of 2025. They were followed by small enterprises in second place, achieving a 6.3 percent growth, with the number of workers reaching 570,663 compared to 537,079 workers in the same period last year. Large enterprises also recorded a 3.5 percent growth in the number of workers, with their total workforce reaching 453,708 workers, compared to 438,212 workers in the first quarter of 2025. In contrast, the number of workers in micro-enterprises decreased by 6.7 percent, reaching 632,751 workers, compared to 677,860 workers during the same period last year.