Bahrain

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Located in the Persian Gulf, the main island of Bahrain is connected by a single road to Saudi Arabia which it borders it to the west. Other states that are within the proximity of Bahrain are Iran, across the persian gulf to the north and Qatar to the south east.

Bahrain, which translates to the two seas in Arab, has its main body of land in the form of a peninsula which is connected to Saudi Arabia with more than 30 smaller islands under its jurisdiction. Throughout its history, Bahrain has been a central hub for trade in the middle east. From the fourth century until the 16th century, it was ruled by the Persian Empire with a brief conquest by the Portuguese. After being reconquered by the Persian Empire, it slowly became a British protectorate until 1971, when it gained its independence.

Due to its small size, Bahrain is the 172nd largest state in the world with a total surface area of 781 square kilometers or 301 square miles. This makes Bahrain slightly larger than Dominica is slightly smaller than Kiribati.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

There are no permanent bodies of water within Bahrain.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

The main sources of water for Bahraini citizens comes from treatment plants that desalinate the water from the Persian Gulf. Other sources of water come from the treatment of wastewater as well as industrial wastewater.

The Bahraini climate is dry and arid with an extremely warm summer and a relatively mild winter. The average temperature is 26.3 degrees Celsius or 79.4 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Bahrain the 31 warmest state in the world.

Temperature

The summer period ranges from April to October with the warmest month being June. During this period, Bahrain has an average temperature of 29.3 degrees Celsius or 84.74 degrees Fahrenheit. This ranks Bahrain as the 60th highest in the world.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

The coldest month is in January when the average lowest temperature is around 22.9 degrees Celsius or 73.22 degrees Fahrenheit. This ranks Bahrain as the 170th coldest state in the world.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

The lack of permanent bodies of water as well as the need for desalination as well as treatment of wastewater is mainly due to the low precipitation that Bahrain receives annually. Bahrain is ranked as the 193rd state in terms of precipitation with a precipitation of 7.3 centimeters or 2.76 inches of rainfall per year.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Bahrain, Al-Manmah, is home to 150,000 inhabitants as well as more than 500,000 inhabitants within its metropolitan area. The capital that is closest to Al-Manmah is Doha Qatar with a distance of 140 kilometers or 87 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Al-Manmah is Apia, Samoa with a distance of 15,392 kilometers or 9564 miles.

At present, the economy of Bahrain is mainly driven by the export of petroleum -related products which represent a large share of its GDP followed by the aluminum sector. Due to the large dependence on oil and gas refinery and exports, the Bahraini government has tried to diversify its economy. During these attempts, Bahrain has attracted several multinationals and has created free trade agreements with the United States and others. Until now, Saudi Arabia is the largest import and export partner accounting for one third of total imports and around 15% of total exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Bahrain is a member of 10 international economic organizations which makes it the 146th most economically interconnected state in the world. These are:

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

in total, the GDP of Bahrain is US$36.8 billion which ranks Bahrain as the 98 wealthiest state in the world and represents 0.04 percent of total global GDP.

The GDP per capita of the Bahraini citizens ranks 37th with an average GDP per capita of US$22,700.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that a citizen makes.

However, due to its small size, Bahrain ranks third in its GDP per service area with a GDP of US$47 million per square kilometer or US$122 million per square mile.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The Purchasing Power per Capita Ranks the Bahraini Citizens as the 25th highest with a Purchasing Power of just under US$50,000 per Citizen.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Bahrain

Around half of the Bahraini population of 1.6 million is of Arab descent and born within Bahrain. The other inhabitants are mainly from Oman and Saudi Arabia and a large share of workers coming from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Population

However, due to the small size of Bahrain it has a population density of 5358 people per square mile or 2066 people per square kilometer. This ranks Bahrain as the third most densely populated state in the world.

Population density

In total, around 55,000 people, or 3.7% of its inhabitants, have emigrated from Bahrain with the United Kingdom and Canada receiving a large amount of wealthy Bahrainis and a large return of the less wealthy labor force going back to India and Bangladesh. Due to the small number of emigrants, this ranks Bahrain as the 167th state with the highest emigration.

Emigration

Immigration

There are several ways to obtain Bahraini citizenship. This is through the worker’s visa application process, or through the policies that aim to diversify the Bahraini economy where talented people and high skilled workers can attain Bahraini citizenship and permanent residency. In total, Bahrain is home to 734,000 immigrants which corresponds to roughly 47.5% of the total population.

Literacy

Education is mandatory for children aged between six and 14 years. This has led to an increase in literacy within Bahrain which has obtained a percentage of 95.8 which ranks it as the 83rd most literate state in the world.

Health

The Bahraini government provides universal healthcare to all its citizens and working population. However, the Bahraini healthcare system is plagued with inefficiencies. The goal of the Bahraini governments is to increase efficiency in the coming years. On average, the life expectancy of a Bahraini citizen is around 77.8 years with women averaging around 78.9 years a man averaging around 76.9 years. This ranks Bahrain as the 53rd highest in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

The official religion of Bahrain is Islam, and it follows Shari’a law. In theory, the Bahraini government provides freedom of religion to all religions within its border but in practice there are some restraints that are exercised by the Bahraini government. It is estimated that Bahrain is ranked as the 20th most multi religious state in the world.

Bahrain has a Christian minority that has been living there for centuries. These Christians originate from Iraq and Jordan. Other Christians are among the working population that are attracted to work in Bahrain. It is estimated that around 14.6% of the Bahraini population adheres to the Christian faith which ranks Bahrain as the 147th most Christian state in the world.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam is the official state religion of Bahrain with an equal divide between the Sunni and Shia denominations. There have been some struggles between Sunnis and Shiites due to the fact that the Sunnis control the Bahraini government and are actively trying to keep the Shiites from obtaining power. This has led to the revoking of Shia citizenship as well as suppressive measures by the authorities in Shia dominated areas. It is estimated that around 71% of the Bahraini citizens are adherents of Islam which ranks it as the 40th most Islamic state in the world.

It is estimated that around 2.5% of the Bahraini citizens adhere to the Buddhist faith. These mainly consist of the labor force that is used in construction.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Around 6.9% of the Bahraini population adheres to the Hindu faith. These are mainly workers as well, but older presence of Hindus has been documented with the presence of a Hindu temple that is over 60 years old.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Even though the Jewish presence is thoughts to be within the Bahraini territory for over centuries, at present, the Jewish population remains relatively small. the total number of Jews within Bahrain is less than 50. This corresponds to roughly 0.04% of the total population.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Because Bahrain gives its citizens the freedom to choose their own religion, it is estimated that around 0.17% of the population adheres to a nontraditional faith.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

This is also true for the freedom to be nonreligious. Which is currently represented by around 1.3% of the total Bahrain population.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Bahrain spends US$1.4 billion or 4.06% of its GDP on its military. This makes Bahrain the 72nd state with the highest military spending in the world.

The Bahraini military, officially known as the Bahrain defense force, is under direct control of the king of Bahrain. It is recently tasked with guarding the Saudi border with Yemen.

Military membership

In total, Bahrain is a member of three international military organizations which ranks it as the 144th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Bahrain has partaken in two international wars. These are:

Syrian Civil War 2011-2025
Persian Gulf crisis 2019-2019

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Bahrain is a member of 11 international political organizations. This ranks Bahrain is the 97th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
Gulf Cooperation Council
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Arab League
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

After first becoming a protectorate under the United Kingdom, Bahrain has obtained independence in 1971. From that moment on, the Bahraini government has attained its grip on power with support of the military. Calls for representation by the Shia minority as well as calls for democratic reform as a result of Arab Spring Revolution go unheard which ranks Bahrain is the 166th most democratic state in the world.