Country Summary
Introduction
Background
In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family took power in Bahrain. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971.
Geography
Area
total: 760 sq km
land: 760 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Natural resources
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
People and Society
Population
1,553,886 (2023 est.)
Ethnic groups
Bahraini 46%, Asian 45.5%, other Arab 4.7%, African 1.6%, European 1%, other 1.2% (includes Gulf Co-operative country nationals, North and South Americans, and Oceanians) (2010 est.)
Languages
Arabic (official), English, Farsi, Urdu
Religions
Muslim 73.7%, Christian 9.3%, Jewish 0.1%, other 16.9% (2017 est.)
Population growth rate
0.85% (2023 est.)
Government
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Manama
Executive branch
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad Al-Khalifa (born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad Al-Khalifa (since 11 November 2020); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure KHALID bin Abdallah Al Khalifa (since 13 June 2022)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral National Assembly consists of:
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (40 seats; members appointed by the king)
Council of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwab (40 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year renewable terms)
Economy
Economic overview
heavily dependent oil/gas economy, has suffered due to lower prices and COVID-19 demand reductions; diversification struggles driven by unemployment and low-skilled labor force; deployed fiscal balancing efforts; emerging tourism industry hit hard by COVID-19 disruptions
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$72.267 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$49,400 (2021 est.)
Agricultural products
mutton, dates, milk, poultry, tomatoes, fruit, sheep offals, sheep skins, eggs, pumpkins
Industries
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
Exports
$30.097 billion (2018 est.)
Exports - partners
United Arab Emirates 31%, Saudi Arabia 12%, Japan 8%, United States 8% (2019)
Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, aluminum and plating, crude petroleum, iron ore, gold (2019)
Imports
$27.187 billion (2018 est.)
Imports - partners
United Arab Emirates 27%, China 11%, Saudi Arabia 7%, United States 5%, Brazil 5%, Japan 5%, India 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
cars, iron ore, jewelry, gold, gas turbines (2019)
Exchange rates
Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar -
0.376 (2021 est.)
Page last updated: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
