Oman Population
Oman had an estimated population of 5,494,691 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 120th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.07% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +3.96% a year.
Oman at a glance
How Oman's population is changing
Oman's population is growing fast: +3.96% a year, which works out to about +217,398 people per year, or +595 a day. Births (16.8 per 1,000) and deaths (1.9 per 1,000) alone would give +1.49% a year; net migration adds about 113,734 people a year (+2.07%). Roughly one in every 1,495 people on Earth lives in Oman.
Population of Oman since 1960
In 1960, Oman had 530,485 people. By 2025 that was 5,494,691 — 10.4× larger. The fastest growth came between 1979 and 1989, when the population rose by 77%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 530,485 | — |
| 1970 | 662,680 | +24.9% |
| 1980 | 1,001,248 | +51.1% |
| 1990 | 1,763,954 | +76.2% |
| 2000 | 2,282,131 | +29.4% |
| 2010 | 2,757,446 | +20.8% |
| 2020 | 4,522,497 | +64.0% |
| 2025 | 5,494,691 | +21.5% |
Oman from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Oman at about 300,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 5,494,696 in 2025 (18× 1800) and projects 12,095,002 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 120% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 300,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 346,557 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 379,583 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 456,997 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 2,282,139 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 5,494,696 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 7,826,998 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 10,031,363 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 12,095,002 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Oman
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 5,494,691. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muscat | 780,545 | UN urban centre | 14.21% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Seeb | 630,072 | UN urban centre | 11.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Bawshar | 383,257 | GeoNames settlement | 6.98% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Şalālah | 279,161 | UN urban centre | 5.08% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Sohar | 154,765 | UN urban centre | 2.82% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Rustaq | 120,000 | GeoNames settlement | 2.18% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | As Suwayq | 107,143 | GeoNames settlement | 1.95% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Samā’il | 80,538 | GeoNames settlement | 1.47% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Al Buraymī | 73,670 | GeoNames settlement | 1.34% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Nizwá | 72,076 | GeoNames settlement | 1.31% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Oman compares
Oman has almost the same population as Ireland (5,484,367).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Oman | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #118 |  Norway | 5,610,870 | +2% | compare → |
| #119 |  Central African Republic | 5,513,282 | +0% | compare → |
| #121 |  Ireland | 5,484,367 | −0% | compare → |
| #122 |  Slovakia | 5,413,813 | −1% | compare → |
Compare Oman with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Oman
Land neighbours (3)
Yemen 41,773,878 · 7.6× the population · compare
Saudi Arabia 36,973,555 · 6.7× the population · compare
United Arab Emirates 11,513,149 · 2.1× the population · compare
Oman's 3 neighbours together hold 90,260,582 people — 16.4× Oman's population. The most populous is Yemen (41,773,878).
In its region
Oman is the 17th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 0.7% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Oman
Cities
Muscat, Seeb, Bawshar, Şalālah, Sohar, Rustaq, As Suwayq, Samā’il — all Oman's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Oman when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.