The Sultanate's postal services have grown manifold from 2007 to 2016. This is reflected in the wide reach across all governorates of the Sultanate.
At the end of 2016, according to data issued by the National Center for Statistics and Information, the number of post office had declined to 80. The Governorate of Muscat has the highest number of post offices at 16 followed by the Governorate of Dhofar with 12 and both Adh Dhakhliyah and North Al-Batinah governorates had 9 each. The number of Private Post Boxes had seen a mixed growth across the decade. If it was 60 thousand in 2007, it had declined to 59 thousand in 2010 and subsequently grown again to 62 thousand in 2011. At the end of 2016, the number of post boxes has grown to 67 thousand. The Governorate of Muscat has the highest number of Private Post Boxes with 29 thousand 820, followed by the Governorate of Dhofar with 7 thousand and 550 Private Post Boxes. The Governorate of Adh Dhakhliyah is in third place with 6 thousand and 450 Private Post Boxes.
The number of domestic Postage Paid Letters had grown from 6 million 423 thousand and 136 at the end of 2015 to 9 million 513 thousand and 965 at the end of 2016. The Government's domestic transactions through post offices declined from 105 thousand 880 at the end of 2015 to 81 thousand and 46 at the end of 2016. The number of outgoing International Postage Paid Letters increased from 26 thousand and 411 in 2015 to 87 thousand and 714 at the end of 2016.
The number of outgoing international EMS Letters increased from 13 thousand and 168 in 2015 to 13 thousand and 779 in 2016. The number of outgoing international Mail Parcels declined from 13 thousand 114 to 12 thousand 618, according to NCSI data. Interestingly, the number of ordinary incoming letters in 2015 was registered at 18 thousand and 240 and in 2015; there was no incoming letter, according to the NCSI figures.
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