Annual Industrial Survey 2013, Oman (Statistical Report)

Oman is a middle-income country in the Gulf region with notable oil and gas resources, a substantial trade surplus, and low inflation. As in most Gulf countries, hydrocarbons form the most important sector in Omani economy, with crude oil accounting for over 25% of GDP in real terms. This proportion is now in gradual decline as oil output has been falling sharply since 2001. With Oman’s depleting oil wealth, the role of manufacturing units and industries assumes greater importance in sustaining the country’s economy. In order to assist in promoting growth, more information needs to be collected and analyzed for planning and other purposes. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, conscious of these requirements, has a long-term objective of upgrading and modernizing the approach to the collection, processing and dissemination of industrial statistics.

Oman is currently the only Gulf Country that performs an Annual Industrial Survey covering licensed manufacturing establishments. A statistical system operated by the Directorate General of Industry, at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI), has existed in Oman since 1993. After almost 20 years of operation, the system was in need of revision and to be brought to the level of best international practices. In 2012, a technical assistance project was initiated with UNIDO, following a request by the government of Oman. As part of the project, UNIDO developed a survey in line with the International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics to produce basic statistics for Oman’s manufacturing sector. The revised survey provides information about the composition and structure of the organized manufacturing sector. More specifically, the survey is used to: (i) collect statistics on the operating characteristics and structure of manufacturing establishments  operating in the Sultanate of Oman; (ii) assess the contribution of the manufacturing sector in the overall economy; (iii) provide statistics to monitor the performance of the manufacturing sector with current plans and strategies adopted by the Ministry as well as to obtain benchmark data for computing national accounts estimates by the National Centre for  Statistical Information and to obtain benchmark data for the construction of Input-Output tables.

The project resulted in the Annual Industrial Survey 2013, which covers all large manufacturing establishments licensed with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and operating in Oman.