The expatriate population in Oman declined in eight out of 11 governorates during the period from November to December 2017, the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) announced.
New data indicates that the number of expats declined by 0.08 per cent overall, with Muscat incurring the largest month-to-month fall with more than 9,808 expats leaving, said Times of Oman.
According to the NCSI, the overall numbers of expats living in Muscat dropped from 955,455 in November 2017 to 948,342 by the end of the year.
In Dhofar, the number of expats followed a similar trend, falling from 248,628 to 247,010 during the same period. Declines were also recorded in the governorates of Al Batinah South, Al Buraymi, Musandam, Sharqiyah South, Sharqiyah North and Al Wusta.
The governorates of Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah North and Adh Dhahirah recorded increases in the number of expats during that time.