Includes Bahrain real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Bahrain economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Bahrain best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Constitutional monarchy
Capital City: Manama
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank |
Central Bank of Bahrain |
|---|---|
| Currency | Bahraini dinars (BHD) |
| International Reserves |
USD 2.3 billion (2018) |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP |
USD 38.3 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
Intl$ 74.1 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007 8.3% 2008 6.2% 2009 2.5% 2010 4.3% 2011 2% 2012 3.7% 2013 5.4% 2014 4.4% 2015 2.9% 2016 3.5% 2017* 3.5% 2018* 1.8% |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 25,850.5 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP |
Intl$ 50,056.5 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
0.05% (2019, estimate) |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 0.3% industry: 43.4% services: 55.3% (2018 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015 1.8% 2016 2.8% 2017 1.4% 2018* 2.1% 2019* 1.4% *Estimate |
Bahrain
Sustainable Finance
A Climate Change Conference Made In Dubai
Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2015 1.8% 2016 2.8% 2017 1.4% 2018* 2.1% 2019* 1.4% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: B+ Moody’s: B2 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate |
2015 3.4% 2016 3.7% 2017 3.6% 2018 3.9% 2019 4% *Estimate |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015 66% 2016 81.3% 2017 88.2% 2018* 94.7% 2019* 101.7% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015 -18.4% 2016 -17.6% 2017 -14.2% 2018* -11.9% 2019* -8% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
2016 USD 19.4 billion 2017 USD 21.7 billion 2018 USD 21.9 billion |
| Largest Companies |
Ahli United Bank |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) |
5.9% (2017) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.004% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
0.008% (2018) |
| Total exports |
USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Export commodities |
Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs |
| Total imports |
USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities |
Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products |
| Exports – major partners |
India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners |
China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance |
USD -2.2 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
-5.9 % (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016 USD 243 million 2017 USD 1,426 million 2018 USD 1,515 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016 USD -880 million 2017 USD 229 million 2018 USD 111 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015 USD -649 million 2016 USD -705 million 2017 USD 922 million 2018 USD -90 million United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 82 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 53 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 166 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 107 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 98 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 48 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 111 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 123 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 25 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 120 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 39 out of 190 countries World Bank – Doing Business 2020 |
| Global competitiveness ranking |
45 out of 141 countries (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 54 / Score: 66.4 (Moderately free) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Total Area |
760 sq km |
|---|---|
| Total Population |
1990 0.49 million 2000 0.64 million 2010 1.24 million 2015 1.37 million 2020* 1.54 million |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 82.3% 1980 86.1% 2000 88.4% 2018 89.3% |
| Population median age |
32.5 years CIA World Factbook / Population median age |
| Population growth rate |
2.19% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy |
79.1 years (2018 estimate) CIA World Factbook / Life expectancy |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day | N/A |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) | N/A |
| Freedom House rating |
ToNot Free Political Rights: 7 Civil Liberties: 6 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
population Fixed: 18.4% Mobile: 133.3% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population | 98.64 % (2018) |
Language & Religon
| Languages |
Arabic (official), English, Farsi, Urdu |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 95.7% Male: 96.9% Female: 93.5% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions |
Muslim 73.7%, Christian 9.3%, Jewish 0.1%, other 16.9% (2017 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 2.8 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
| C02 Emissions per capita |
1.9 metric tons per capita (2018) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Bahrain
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000