MUSCAT: The United Arab Emirates was Oman’s leading trading partner in 2025 for non-oil exports, re-exports and merchandise imports, according to the latest monthly statistical bulletin issued by Oman’s National Centre for Statistics and Information. Non-oil exports from Oman to the UAE exceeded 1.311 billion Omani rials, while re-exports to the UAE totaled 724 million rials. Merchandise imports from the UAE rose 5.4% from a year earlier to more than 4.1 billion rials, the bulletin said.
Oman’s total foreign trade was valued at 40.4 billion rials in 2025, compared with 41.7 billion rials in 2024, the statistics authority said. The value of Omani merchandise exports reached 23.2 billion rials in 2025, down 7.1% from 25.0 billion rials a year earlier, reflecting weaker oil export receipts. Against that backdrop, non-oil exports and re-export activity recorded gains during the year, the bulletin showed.
Non-oil exports increased to about 6.7 billion rials in 2025 from 6.2 billion rials in 2024, a rise of 7.5%, according to the statistical bulletin. Shipments to the UAE climbed 25.3% from 1.046 billion rials in 2024 to more than 1.311 billion rials last year, maintaining the UAE as Oman’s largest non-oil export destination. Exports to Saudi Arabia rose to 1.067 billion rials, and exports to India increased to around 700 million rials.
Re-exports keep UAE in top spot
Re-export activities expanded 20.3% in 2025, rising to 2.056 billion rials from 1.708 billion rials in 2024, the bulletin said. The UAE was the largest destination for re-exports, accounting for 35.2% of Oman’s total re-export trade. The value of goods re-exported to the UAE reached 724 million rials in 2025, up from 569 million rials in 2024, an increase of 27.2%, according to the statistics authority.
Iran ranked second among re-export destinations, with re-exports valued at 365 million rials in 2025, a 1.6% increase from the previous year, the bulletin said. The report also noted declines in some non-oil export flows, with shipments to South Korea down 26.1% and exports to the United States lower by 13.3% in 2025 compared with 2024.
Non-oil categories expand as oil receipts fall
The statistical bulletin listed products from chemical and related industries, metals and metal products, plastics, and machinery and electrical equipment among the leading non-oil export groups in 2025. The UAE’s top ranking across non-oil exports, re-exports and merchandise imports placed it at the center of Oman’s non-oil trade flows last year, alongside other major partners cited in the bulletin including Saudi Arabia, India, China, Iran and the United Kingdom.
Oil export revenues fell to 14.5 billion rials in 2025 from 17.1 billion rials in 2024, a decline of 15.2%, the statistics authority said, citing an average Omani crude price of $71 per barrel versus $80.8 per barrel a year earlier. Total oil exports amounted to 307.9 million barrels in 2025, slightly below 308.4 million barrels in 2024, while average daily oil production rose to more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 – By Content Syndication Services.