Oman’s Trade Activity Grows 5 Percent in the First Half as Re-Exports Climb 20 Percent
Wholesale and retail trade’s contribution to Oman’s GDP rose 5 percent in the first half of 2026 to about 1.735 billion rials at current prices, compared with the same period of 2025, according to National Centre for Statistics and Information data reported by the Oman News Agency on 3 October. On our calculation, that is an increase of about 83 million rials from roughly 1.652 billion rials a year earlier. Foreign investment in trade activity grew 9.7 percent to about 305.3 million rials. Re-exports rose 20.0 percent in the first half to 978 million rials from 815 million rials a year earlier, the centre’s August bulletin shows.
Re-exports reach 1.14 billion rials by the end of July
The September bulletin carries re-exports to the end of July at 1.14 billion rials, 13.6 percent above the 1.004 billion rials of January to July 2025. The bulletin puts July alone at 167 million rials. On our calculation, re-exports in the first 7 months already stand at about 55 percent of the 2.056 billion rials for the whole of 2025. Nasra bint Sultan Al Habsi, Director General of Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, pointed to the re-export and foreign investment figures as indicators of the sector’s performance.
Oman trade activity indicators, 2026
| Indicator | Value | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Re-exports, January to June | OMR 978m | +20.0% |
| Re-exports, January to July | OMR 1.14bn | +13.6% |
| Foreign investment in trade activity | OMR 305.3m | +9.7% |
| Wholesale and retail trade GDP, current prices, H1 | OMR 1.735bn | +5% |
Re-exports from the monthly bulletins of August and September 2026, provisional, against the same periods of 2025. Trade GDP and foreign investment as reported by the Oman News Agency on 3 October 2026; trade GDP growth is against the first half of 2025, and the agency does not state the comparison period for foreign investment or whether it is a stock or a flow.
Why it matters: On our reading, re-exports growing at 4 times the pace of the trade sector’s output in the first half point to Oman’s trade activity drawing increasingly on its role as a regional distribution hub. The 5 percent sector rise is measured in current prices, so a constant price measure, when published, will show how much of it is volume growth.
Outlook: The official second quarter GDP figures will place the trade sector’s first half performance within the wider economy.
Sources: National Centre for Statistics and Information, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Oman News Agency, The Edge.
