Overview
The United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index (HDI) combines three dimensions: life expectancy at birth, education (mean and expected years of schooling), and gross national income per capita. It provides a broad measure of human wellbeing beyond pure economic output, capturing the extent to which economic wealth translates into improved lives.
Oman’s Position
Oman is classified in the very high human development category, with an HDI of approximately 0.816. This represents one of the most remarkable development stories globally – in 1970, Oman’s HDI was among the lowest in the world. Life expectancy has risen from around 50 years to over 78 years. Literacy rates have climbed from below 30 percent to over 95 percent. These gains reflect massive public investment in health and education over five decades.
Regional Comparison
Among GCC states, the UAE leads with an HDI of approximately 0.911, followed by Saudi Arabia (0.875) and Bahrain (0.875). Qatar and Kuwait also rank higher than Oman. While Oman’s absolute HDI is impressive in a global context, the gap with wealthier Gulf neighbours reflects differences in per-capita income and educational attainment at the tertiary level.
Trajectory
Oman’s HDI growth rate has slowed as it approaches the frontier of very high development. Future gains will depend less on expanding basic services – where Oman has largely succeeded – and more on improving educational quality, increasing female labour force participation, and sustaining income growth through economic diversification. The transition from quantity to quality of human capital is Vision 2040’s central challenge.