Thursday 07 / May / 2026
Muscat — The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning reviewed today, during its sixth media dialogue at the Experience and Sales Centre in Sultan Haitham City, the most prominent transformations and achievements it has realized over the past five years.
This ranges from the approval and implementation of the urban strategy, the launch of structure plans, and the implementation of future cities, to the development of the "Sorouh" initiative, the launch of housing options, and the enhancement of the legislative and regulatory environment, during a phase in which the Sultanate of Oman is witnessing rapid urban and developmental transformations.
The dialogue highlighted the pillars of the Greater Muscat Structure Plan and its main components, as well as the associated future projects and cities, foremost among them Sultan Haitham City and A’Thuraya City. This reflects the transition towards building an integrated urban ecosystem that balances economic development, quality of life, and environmental sustainability.
The Ministry affirmed that more than 8,000 families were able to achieve housing stability during the period from 2020 to 2025. Meanwhile, financial allocations for social housing programs exceeded RO 200 million, benefiting 2,794 families during the past year.
Furthermore, the number of housing assistance cases increased from 1,260 in 2020 to 1,782 in 2025.
The Ministry indicated that more than 90,000 beneficiaries were able to choose a land plot or a residential unit during the period from 2021 to 2025, while 15,434 families benefited from housing options during the year 2025. This step reflects the shift towards housing policies that are more closely connected to the needs of society and its social and economic stability.
The Ministry clarified that the traded value in the real estate sector rose to RO 3.3 billion during the years 2024 and 2025, achieving a cumulative growth of 37.5 percent compared to 2020. The compound annual growth rate for real estate trading reached 6.6 percent, whereas Gulf real estate investment in the Sultanate of Oman between 2024 and 2025 recorded a growth of 95.3 percent, and foreign investment grew by 39.4 percent.
The Ministry emphasized that this growth reflects the success of the Sultanate of Oman in building a more competitive investment environment, anchored by a clear vision, stability of legislation, and the integration of efforts between the public and private sectors, alongside the growing presence of Omani projects in the global investment landscape.
In the field of digital transformation, the Ministry continued to develop its services to enhance performance efficiency and improve the beneficiaries' experience. The service automation rate reached 99 percent of the total services provided, while the beneficiaries' satisfaction rate with digital services reached 92 percent during the year 2025, with the completion of more than 425,000 digital transactions.
During the dialogue, the Ministry addressed the role of local content and both national and global partnerships in supporting developmental projects. This is achieved by empowering small and medium enterprises, and enhancing the contribution of national companies in the execution of real estate development projects—particularly the "Sorouh" projects and Sultan Haitham City—in addition to building partnerships with international developers and consultants.
The dialogue also touched upon the "Live Oman" target as one of the national pillars associated with raising the quality of life and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Sultanate of Oman. This is accomplished by providing an integrated living environment for citizens, residents, and visitors, based on safety, stability, quality of services, well-being, and sustainability. This approach has contributed to cementing the Sultanate of Oman's position among the countries with the highest quality of life globally, as it achieved fourth place worldwide in the Quality of Life Index for the year 2025.
This target is intricately linked to the development of future cities and integrated urban communities, the enhancement of the urban environment, the provision of modern housing options, and raising the efficiency of infrastructure, services, and recreational, commercial, and tourism facilities.
The dialogue was attended by Dr. Khalfan Said Al Shuaili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning; Eng. Hamad Ali Al Nazwani, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Housing; Dr. Mohammed Ali Al Mutawa, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Urban Planning; alongside a number of Ministry officials and media representatives.
