The total number of youths in the age group between 18 and 29 years in mid-2017 was about 1.2 million, with 46.7% of them being Omanis, according to the data released by the Centre.
These statistics showed that the ratio of Omani youth in this age group remained close to what they were between 2013 and 2017, when there were 103 males for each 100 females. The largest ratio of Omani youth is in Muscat and North Batinah governorates, where they are about two-fifths of the Omani youth, which is 41.4% of the total youth, while there are only 1% youth in Musandam and Al Wusta governorates each. One third of Omani youth are concentrated in six Wilayats, namely Salalah, Sohar, Saham, Suwaiq, Ibri, and Seeb.
According to these statistics released by the NCSI, the illiteracy among youth is declining steadily, dipping from 1.1% in 2013 to 0.9% in 2017. In the age group of between 18 and 29 years, 88.3% of the total number of students are enrolled in higher education institutions (government and private) for the academic year 2015/2016, while the percentage of youth who graduated from institutions of higher education in the same academic year was about 83% of the total graduate students. In terms of social status, the statistics show that the percentage of youth in the age group of between 15 and 29 years with disability card in 2017 was 23% of the total holders of disabled cards. The largest proportion of them is males with 61.6%. Among the young disabled people, mental disability is the most common, followed by disability in movement.
About the job situation of youth, the total number of employed youths in the Sultanate in the age group between 15 and 29 years was 699,581, which is 18% of total Omanis. Youth among total employed Omanis were 29% in 2017, which is 4% less than in 2013. The data also indicated that the percentage of male workers increased from 67% of the total Omani youth in 2013 to 68% in 2017. The number of insured and self-employed youths in the age group of less than 20 years to 30 years was 2,773 in 2017. They are 28.3% of the other categories. Of the total job seekers in Oman, 74% are in the age group of between 15 and 29 years.
With regard to the security situation of the Omani youths, the number of total convicts in the country has reached 20.8 thousand, of which 39% are youth in the age group of between 18 and 29 years. Among the crimes committed by the Omani youth, crimes against individuals have the largest proportion, which is 28% of the total crimes, followed by crimes against money, which is 27%. Among male youths, the percentage of crimes against money was the largest crimes committed involving Omani youth, with 27%, while among female youths, the largest ratio of crime committed was against individuals, reaching 54%. The number of road accident victims in 2017 was about 3,774, which lead to 640 deaths and 3134 injuries. About 28% of all victims and 32% of injured persons comprised youths in the age group of between 16 and 25 in 2017, compared to 31% of deaths and 37% of injuries in 2013.
To access the complete Youth Bulletin, log on to the website of the centre: www.ncsi.gov.om
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