Births among expatriates declined 2 per cent, with male births down 1.5 per cent and female births 2.4 per cent lower. Deaths among Omani nationals fell 6.6 per cent to 3,646, while expatriate deaths dropped 9.9 per cent to 944. Female deaths declined more sharply than male deaths. Deaths among Omani women fell 10.6 per cent, compared with 3.8 per cent among Omani men. Among expatriates, female deaths declined 16.7 per cent, while male deaths fell 8.3 per cent.