Muscat, 18 Oct (ONA) --- The total number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) registered in the Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ASMED) till the end of August 2021 stood at 56,687, compared to 45,706 in August 2020, constituting an increase by 24%, according to the data released by the National Centre for Statistics and information (NCSI).

Among the governorates, the Governorate of Muscat topped the list, marking an increase by 25.2% compared to the same period in 2020 to reach 19,187 followed by the Governorate of North Al Batinah with a rise by 23.7% to stand at 8,945.

An increase was also marked in the number of SMEs in all governorates, the Governorate of A'Dakhiliyah by 20.1% to reach 6,961, the Governorate of Dhofar by 23.8% to 4,737, the Governorate of South Al Batinah by 28.1% to 4,341, the Governorate of North A'Sharqiah by 21.2% to 3,751, the Governorate of South A'Sharqiah by 27.5% to 3,392, the Governorate of A'Dhahira by 17.4% to 3,156, the Governorate of Al Buraimi by 23.9% to 1,207, the Governorate of Al Wusta by 37.5% to 755 and the Governorate of Musandam by 44.9% to 255.

--- Ends/AG/AH