Oman has the largest proven reserves of any non-OPEC country in the Middle East, at 5.5 billion barrels. Production has increased 20 percent since 2007, reaching 860,000 barrels per day in 2010. Oil and gas exports were 47 percent of GDP in 2010 - led by Asia destinations. BP is contemplating whether to invest $15 billion in a gas project. "The project will make a lot of money for Oman; we just need to find a way to get a big enough piece of it for BP to make sense as an investment," Reuters quoted Jonathan Evans, BP Oman general manager, as saying.
Oman is trying to diversify its economy, with government investment in the agricultural and health services sectors. The sultanate has made education a priority, investing in basic education by establishing colleges and trade schools and offering scholarships for international studies.
