Browse a full set of economic indicators

Bahrain

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

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

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