Bahrain

• arid;
• mild, pleasant winters;
• very hot, humid summers

agricultural land:

10.1% (2023 est.)

arable land:

2.6% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

2.5% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

5% (2023 est.)

forest:

4.3% (2023 est.)

other:

84.2% (2023 est.)

• smallest population of the Gulf States, but urbanization rate exceeds 90%;
• largest settlement concentration is found on the far northern end of the island in and around Manamah and Al Muharraq

• close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources;
• strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

noun:

Bahraini(s)

adjective:

Bahraini

total:

33.5 years (2025 est.)

male:

34.6 years

female:

31.2 years

• smallest population of the Gulf States, but urbanization rate exceeds 90%;
• largest settlement concentration is found on the far northern end of the island in and around Manamah and Al Muharraq

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.68 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.06 male(s)/female

total population:

1.5 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

9.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

11.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

80.4 years (2024 est.)

male:

78.1 years

female:

82.7 years

total:

1.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

17.3% (2025 est.)

male:

24.3% (2025 est.)

female:

4.8% (2025 est.)

• desertification;
• drought;
• coastal degradation from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations;
• lack of freshwater resources;
• saline contamination from lowered water table

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• arid;
• mild, pleasant winters;
• very hot, humid summers

agricultural land:

10.1% (2023 est.)

arable land:

2.6% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

2.5% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

5% (2023 est.)

forest:

4.3% (2023 est.)

other:

84.2% (2023 est.)

urban population:

89.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

165.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

0.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

163.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

1.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

951,900 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

14.1% (2022 est.)

municipal:

275.6 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

14.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

144.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bahrain

conventional short form:

Bahrain

local long form:

Mamlakat al Bahrayn

local short form:

Al Bahrayn

former:

Dilmun, Tylos, Awal, Mishmahig, Bahrayn, State of Bahrain

etymology:

the name means "the two seas" in Arabic and refers to the water bodies on each side of the archipelago

name:

Manama

geographic coordinates:

26 14 N, 50 34 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

name derives from the Arabic word al-manama , meaning "place of rest" or "place of dreams"

history:

previous 1973; latest adopted 14 February 2002, entry into force 14 February 2002

amendment process:

• proposed by the king or by at least 15 members of either chamber of the National Assembly followed by submission to an Assembly committee for review and, if approved, submitted to the government for restatement as drafts;
• passage requires a two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both chambers and validation by the king;
• constitutional articles on the state religion (Islam), state language (Arabic), and the monarchy and "inherited rule" cannot be amended

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Bahrain

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

25 years; 15 years for Arab nationals

chief of state:

King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999)

head of government:

Prime Minister Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad Al-Khalifa (since 11 November 2020)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the monarch

election/appointment process:

the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

legislature name:

National Assembly (Al-Majlis Al-Watani)

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab)

number of seats:

40 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

plurality/majority

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

11/12/2022 to 11/19/2022

percentage of women in chamber:

20%

expected date of next election:

November 2026

chamber name:

Shura Council (Majlis Al-Shura)

number of seats:

40 (all appointed)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

11/27/2022

percentage of women in chamber:

25%

expected date of next election:

November 2026

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation (consists of the chairman and 3 judges);
• Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chairman and 3 judges);
• Constitutional Court (consists of the president and 6 members);
• High Sharia Court of Appeal (court sittings include the president and at least one judge)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges appointed by royal decree and serve for a specified tenure;
• Constitutional Court president and members appointed by the Higher Judicial Council, a body chaired by the monarch and includes judges from the Court of Cassation, sharia law courts, and Civil High Courts of Appeal;
• members serve 9-year terms;
• High Sharia Court of Appeal member appointments by royal decree for a specified tenure

subordinate courts:

• Civil High Courts of Appeal;
• middle and lower civil courts;
• High Sharia Court of Appeal;
• Senior Sharia Court;
• Administrative Courts of Appeal;
• military courts

note: the judiciary of Bahrain is divided into civil law courts and sharia law courts; sharia courts (involving personal status and family law) are further divided into Sunni Muslim and Shia Muslim; the Courts are supervised by the Supreme Judicial Council.

chief of mission:

Ambassador Abdulla bin Rashed AL KHALIFA (since 21 July 2017)

chancery:

3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-1111

FAX:

[1] (202) 362-2192

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?language=en-US&tabid=7702

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador-designate Stephanie HALLETT (since 19 December 2025); Chargé d’Affaires Elizabeth A. LITCHFIELD

embassy:

Building 979, Road 3119, Block 331, Zinj District, P.O. Box 26431, Manama

mailing address:

6210 Manama Place, Washington DC 20521-6210

telephone:

[973] 17-242700

FAX:

[973] 17-272594

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://bh.usembassy.gov/

description:

red, with a white serrated band of five white points on the left side

meaning:

red is the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam

history:

until 2002, the flag had eight white points, but this was reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag

title:

"Bahrainona" (Our Bahrain)

lyrics/music:

unknown

history:

adopted 1971; Mohamed Sudqi AYYASH wrote the original lyrics, but they were changed in 2002 after Bahrain became a kingdom

total World Heritage Sites:

3 (all cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Dilmun Burial Mounds;
• Qal'at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbor and Capital of Dilmun ;
• Bahrain Pearling Path

• high-income, growing Middle Eastern island economy;
• oil and aluminum exporter with diversification led by services, construction and manufacturing;
• regional finance and tourism hub;
• high public debt linked to oil revenue dependence and limited tax base;
• vulnerable to water reservoir depletion

total:

5.2% (2024 est.)

male:

2.5% (2024 est.)

female:

12.4% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

13.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

0.4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

exports:

600 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

300 metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

190,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

72,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

186.5 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

19.55 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

19.878 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

81.98 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

81.383 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• state-run Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) operates 6 terrestrial TV networks and several radio stations;
• satellite TV systems provide access to international broadcasts;
• 1 private FM station has broadcasts for Indian listeners;
• radio and TV broadcasts from countries in the region are available (2023)

total ports:

4 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

3

small:

1

very small:

0

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Al Manamah, Khalifa Bin Salman, Mina Salman, Sitrah

• information varies;
• approximately 10,000 active Bahrain Defense Force;
• approximately 3,000 National Guard (2025)

• focuses on promoting space research and science, applying space-related technologies, and building capacity in the fields of satellite manufacturing, tracking, control, data processing and analysis, and remote sensing;
• cooperates with a variety of foreign agencies and commercial entities, including those of India, Italy, Japan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UK, the UAE, and the US;
• also a member of the Arab Space Coordination Group (2025)

• 2022 - first scientific nanosatellite (Light-1 CubeSat) built with assistance from the UAE and launched by Japan; joined US-led Artemis Accords for space exploration
• 2023 - first domestically built technology-demonstrator nanosatellite (Kuwait Sat-1) launched by US
• 2025 - first domestically built remote-sensing nanosatellite (Al Munther) launched by US