Muscat – Oman’s merchandise trade surplus widened sharply in the first half of 2026, driven by strong growth in export values while imports increased only marginally, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The sultanate’s trade surplus rose by approximately 51% to RO4.7bn by the end of June 2026, from RO3.1bn in the same period of 2025. The significant increase in the trade surplus reflects the widening gap between the growth in exports and imports during the period.

The total value of Oman’s merchandise exports increased 15.3% to approximately RO13.2bn in the first six months of 2026, compared with RO11.5bn a year earlier.

The rise was led by oil and gas exports, whose value increased 16.5% to RO8.6bn from approximately RO7.4bn in the first half of 2025.

Non-oil exports also maintained solid growth, rising 11.4% to approximately RO3.6bn from RO3.3bn a year earlier. Re-exports recorded an even stronger increase of 20% to RO978mn, compared with RO815mn in the corresponding period of 2025.

In contrast to the strong increase in exports, Oman’s merchandise imports grew by only 2.1% during the first half of the year, reaching approximately RO8.6bn, up from RO8.4bn a year earlier.

The much faster growth in exports than imports was the key factor behind the sharp expansion in Oman’s trade surplus during the period.

UAE remains top trading partner

The United Arab Emirates remained Oman’s top trading partner during the first half of 2026, leading both as a destination for non-oil exports and as the country’s largest source of merchandise imports.

Oman’s non-oil exports to the United Arab Emirates reached RO1.134bn during January-June period of this year.

Saudi Arabia ranked second with non-oil exports worth RO357mn, followed by India with RO333mn.

Iran was the largest destination for Oman’s re-exports, receiving goods worth RO254mn during the first six months of 2026. The UAE ranked second with RO221mn, followed by Saudi Arabia with RO188mn.

On the import side, the United Arab Emirates was Oman’s largest source of merchandise imports, with imports valued at RO2.423bn during the first half of 2026.

China ranked second with imports worth RO1.194bn, while Türkiye was third with RO676mn.