MUSCAT – The index awarded Oman an overall Quality of Life score of 203.9, placing it alongside Denmark in third position worldwide. The Netherlands topped the global rankings with a score of 205.6, followed by Luxembourg at 204.8.

Within Asia, Oman led the rankings, ahead of Qatar in second place and Japan in third, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s most attractive destinations for residents and expatriates alike.

Numbeo’s assessment measures quality of life using a range of factors, including purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, housing affordability, traffic commute times, pollution levels and climate.

Oman recorded a Purchasing Power Index of 152.6, a Safety Index of 81.7, a Health Care Index of 62.7, and a Cost of Living Index of 45.5. it also posted a Property Price-to-Income Ratio of 3.8, an average Traffic Commute Time Index of 24.8, and a Pollution Index of 36.5.

The Sultanate’s strong showing was underpinned by its high public safety standards, relatively low pollution levels, efficient healthcare system, favourable climate and shorter commuting times compared with many countries, making it the top performer in both Asia and the Arab world.

The report also highlighted the performance of Muscat, which ranked first in Asia for quality of life with a score of 180.3. Among Gulf cities, the Omani capital outperformed Manama (171.9), Doha (169.2), Abu Dhabi (169.0) and Dubai (168.7), all of which featured in Asia’s top 10.

Muscat also ranked second in Asia and globally for low pollution, recording a Pollution Index of 35.9, behind only Singapore at 32.5. The city received high ratings for air quality, drinking water quality and accessibility, cleanliness, waste management, public safety, green spaces and overall urban comfort.