Oman’s digital economy reached a significant milestone between 2021 and 2024, generating an estimated RO3 billion as the sultanate pushes forward with its economic diversification goals. According to a report by Muscat Daily, these figures were shared during a recent Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry event, which focused on the upcoming 11th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030).
H.E. Dr. Ali bin Amer Al Shidhani, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, noted that the National Programme for Digital Economy hit 96% of its targets by 2025. This progress was fueled by roughly RO1.2 billion in domestic and foreign investments, covering everything from cloud data centers and crypto mining to semiconductor design. By 2024, the sector’s annual value grew to RO800 million, a 3.4% increase over the previous year.
The shift toward a "digital-first" government is also well underway. Between 2021 and 2025, more than 2,000 government services were digitized. This led to a massive surge in activity, with over 48 million digital transactions recorded in 2025 alone—a 78% jump from the year before. This digital maturity earned Oman a spot in the World Bank’s highest global category for digital government in 2025.
Beyond the software, Oman is seeing a boom in specialized industries. The space sector workforce tripled in size since 2023, and the semiconductor industry now hosts four operating companies with over RO50 million in investment. These advancements are creating real-world opportunities; since the program started in 2021, about 5,000 jobs have been created, with over 1,200 Omanis joining the ICT workforce in 2025 alone.
Looking toward the future, H.E. Dr. Nasser bin Rashid Al Maawali, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy, explained that the 11th Five-Year Plan aims to make the private sector a primary engine of the economy. The plan targets an average GDP growth of 4% and expects the private sector to contribute 56% of the GDP. Most notably, the strategy aims to create 300,000 direct jobs for Omanis over the five-year period, averaging 60,000 new positions every year.
Source: Muscat Daily
