Muscat – The survey, which assessed expatriates’ feelings towards the social environment in the Sultanate, found that 90.9 percent of expatriates believe that Omani society is tolerant.

The survey, which took place between January 13 and 23, 2025, revealed a slight increase of 0.2 percent in the Tolerance Index compared to the previous cycle conducted in April 2024. This index measures the acceptance and integration of expatriates within Omani society.

Key findings of the survey show that 95.6 percent of expatriates reported no discrimination or mistreatment by Omanis, marking an improvement from 93.6 percent in 2024.
90.4 percent of expatriates felt accepted by society despite cultural differences, although this figure represents a slight decrease from 92 percent last year. Regarding freedom of expression, 86.7 percent of expatriates felt free to voice their opinions on daily life topics, showing little change from 86.6 percent in 2024.

The survey also highlighted differences based on gender and age. Male expatriates reported higher levels of non-discrimination, with 96.5 percent indicating they had not experienced mistreatment, compared to 93.4 percent of females. When broken down by age group, the 30-49 demographic had the lowest non-discrimination rate at 95 percent, while those over 50 had the highest at 97.5 percent, followed closely by the 18-29 group at 96.5 percent.

Regarding the acceptance of expatriates despite cultural differences, 93.9 percent of female expatriates felt accepted, compared to 89.2 percent of males. The age group over 50 recorded the highest percentage of acceptance at 94.6 percent, followed by 90.7 percent in the 30-49 age group. The lowest acceptance rate was among expatriates aged 18-29, at 86.8 percent.

In terms of freedom of expression, males again felt more at ease, with 87.1 percent reporting freedom to express their views, compared to 85.8 percent of females. The over-50 age group also recorded the highest sense of freedom at 89.6 percent, followed by 86.2 percent for those in the 30-49 age range, and 85.9 percent for the 18-29 group.

It is worth noting that tolerance refers to respect, acceptance, and appreciation for cultural diversity and various forms of expression. It is fostered through knowledge, openness, communication, and freedom of thought, and is a moral, political, and legal value that contributes to achieving harmony within the context of diversity.

The survey included a simple random sample representing expatriates residing in the Sultanate of Oman aged 18 years and above, totalling 1,425 expatriates, including both genders, all governorates, and various age groups.