Muscat – Oman has climbed to third place globally in Numbeo’s mid-year 2026 Quality of Life Index, moving up from fourth during the same period last year and retaining the top position in Asia and the Arab world.

The sultanate scored 203.9 points, behind the Netherlands at 205.6 and Luxembourg at 204.8. Denmark also scored 203.9 but was placed fourth, followed by Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Iceland, Germany and Norway.

Unlike indices based primarily on economic output, Numbeo’s Quality of Life Index combines purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, property affordability, commuting time, pollution and climate.

Numbeo, however, is a crowdsourced database rather than an official statistical body, and its rankings are based partly on information submitted by users.

Oman’s ranking was underpinned by strong scores in safety, purchasing power, housing affordability and commuting time.

Its Safety Index stood at 81.7, the highest among the global top ten, while its Purchasing Power Index reached 152.6.

Oman recorded the lowest property price-to-income ratio among the top ten countries, at 3.8, indicating relatively greater housing affordability. Its Cost of Living Index of 45.5 was substantially below the other countries in the leading group.

Oman’s average Traffic Commute Time Index stood at 24.8, while it scored 62.7 for healthcare and 66 for climate.

Among GCC states, Qatar was ranked 12th globally, followed by the UAE at 29, Kuwait at 34 and Saudi Arabia at 38.

Oman government said the improvement reflected efforts to develop sustainable cities, infrastructure and integrated communities under Vision 2040.