01
Physical geography
Mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment.
Local timeManama ·
Asia / Western Asia · Card 004
Bahrain
Bahrain is a country in Western Asia. Its capital is Manama.
Find Bahrain
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Manama
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Bahraini dinar (BHD)
- Population
- 1.6 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 765 km²295 square miles
- Independence
- 1971from the UK
Bahrain in context
Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Manama; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Languages used in public life include Arabic.
03
Location
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia.
Flag
Red, with a white serrated band of five white points on the left side
History & independence
Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifa family established control in the eighteenth century. Treaties later placed its foreign relations under British protection. Bahrain became independent in 1971 and adopted a new constitution in 2002, becoming a kingdom.
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Al Khalifa rule established
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Independence from British protection
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Kingdom and new constitution established
Economy
Main activities
Petroleum refining, aluminium production, finance, logistics and tourism are major activities. Diversification developed partly in response to limited domestic oil reserves.
Industry and production
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people1.62025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 224,809 | 0.225 |
| 1980 | 358,978 | 0.359 |
| 1990 | 514,797 | 0.515 |
| 2000 | 637,582 | 0.638 |
| 2010 | 1,228,543 | 1.229 |
| 2020 | 1,472,204 | 1.472 |
| 2025 | 1,600,366 | 1.600 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars42.62025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,444,382,363 | 9.444 |
| 1991 | 10,504,986,340 | 10.505 |
| 1992 | 11,207,769,729 | 11.208 |
| 1993 | 12,650,210,449 | 12.650 |
| 1994 | 12,618,584,749 | 12.619 |
| 1995 | 13,114,494,169 | 13.114 |
| 1996 | 13,653,500,708 | 13.654 |
| 1997 | 14,075,803,380 | 14.076 |
| 1998 | 14,750,034,868 | 14.750 |
| 1999 | 15,384,286,109 | 15.384 |
| 2000 | 16,199,663,949 | 16.200 |
| 2001 | 16,603,189,277 | 16.603 |
| 2002 | 17,159,155,483 | 17.159 |
| 2003 | 18,239,571,634 | 18.240 |
| 2004 | 19,512,869,154 | 19.513 |
| 2005 | 20,833,694,756 | 20.834 |
| 2006 | 22,181,009,695 | 22.181 |
| 2007 | 24,020,694,053 | 24.021 |
| 2008 | 25,520,789,027 | 25.521 |
| 2009 | 26,168,987,899 | 26.169 |
| 2010 | 27,303,230,073 | 27.303 |
| 2011 | 27,829,679,464 | 27.830 |
| 2012 | 28,888,050,242 | 28.888 |
| 2013 | 30,416,985,616 | 30.417 |
| 2014 | 31,727,610,008 | 31.728 |
| 2015 | 32,523,297,872 | 32.523 |
| 2016 | 33,764,059,499 | 33.764 |
| 2017 | 35,436,675,411 | 35.437 |
| 2018 | 36,164,044,588 | 36.164 |
| 2019 | 36,906,448,211 | 36.906 |
| 2020 | 34,724,774,104 | 34.725 |
| 2021 | 36,235,315,986 | 36.235 |
| 2022 | 38,474,716,945 | 38.475 |
| 2023 | 39,966,811,156 | 39.967 |
| 2024 | 41,124,691,813 | 41.125 |
| 2025 | 42,556,396,855 | 42.556 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.899Very High human developmentRank 38 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.734
20000.775
20100.810
20200.885
20230.899
81.3 yearsLife expectancy at birth
11.1 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Constitutional monarchy. National Assembly (Al-Majlis Al-Watani) has two chambers (a bicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about Bahrain.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which metal is an important part of Bahrain’s production?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.