Name
In Arabic, the name means "the two seas," referring to the water bodies on each side of the archipelago.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Country
Bahrain
26.06° N, 50.55° E
No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 161 km of coast, the 143rd longest on Earth.
land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 161 km · 143rd/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
- Population
- 1,641,172
- Natural Earth population estimate.
- Area
- 760 km²
- Official total area (land + water) from the CIA World Factbook. Computed from the Natural Earth boundary: ≈ 540 km².
- Population density
- ≈ 3,039 / km²
- Population divided by the computed boundary area.
- ISO codes
- BH · BHR
- GDP (nominal)
- $47.74 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $59,100
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Bahrain 760 km²Saint Lucia 616 km²
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Where Bahrain sits in the world
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
- Median age33.5 years108th of 224 · median 32.6 years
- Life expectancy80.4 years51st of 224 · median 76.2 years
- Fertility rate1.64 children per woman157th of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
- Population1,641,172154th of 235 · median 5,454,073
- Total area760 km²183rd of 228 · median 83,736 km²
- Coastline161 km143rd of 229 · median 402 km
Overview
Background
The Sunni Al-Khalifa family took power in Bahrain in 1783 and later made it a British protectorate through treaties with the UK during the 19th century. The archipelago attained independence in 1971. Declining oil production and reserves since 1970 prompted economic diversification into petroleum processing and refining, aluminum production, hospitality, and retail. Bahrain also sought to become a leading regional banking center, especially in Islamic finance.
Small size, central location among Gulf countries, economic dependence on Saudi Arabia, and proximity to Iran require delicate balancing among larger neighbors. Its foreign policy usually follows Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and in 2022 the United States designated Bahrain a major non-NATO ally. The Sunni royal family has long struggled to manage relations with Bahrain's Shia-majority population. In 2011, amid Arab uprisings elsewhere in the region, the Bahraini Government responded to pro-democracy and reform protests with police and military action, including deploying Gulf Cooperation Council security forces. Ongoing dissatisfaction with the political status quo continues to factor into sporadic clashes between demonstrators and security forces. In 2020, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords with Israel. In 2023, Bahrain and the United States signed the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, covering defense, security, emerging technology, trade, and investment.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Climate
The climate is arid, with mild, pleasant winters and very hot, humid summers. Periodic droughts and dust storms are natural hazards.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Flag and symbols
A red flag has a white serrated band of five white points on the left side. Red is the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, while the five points represent the five pillars of Islam. Until 2002, the flag had eight white points, reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag. The national symbol is a white serrated band with five white points on top of a red field.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Key figures
CIA World Factbook
Economy
- GDP (nominal)
- $47.74 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP (PPP)
- $93.94 billion
- Field “Economy → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $59,100
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP growth
- +3%
- Field “Economy → Real GDP growth rate → Real GDP growth rate 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Inflation (consumer prices)
- 0.9%
- Field “Economy → Inflation rate (consumer prices) → Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Unemployment
- 1.2%
- Field “Economy → Unemployment rate → Unemployment rate 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Exports
- $41.3 billion
- Field “Economy → Exports → Exports 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Imports
- $33.04 billion
- Field “Economy → Imports → Imports 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
People
- Life expectancy
- 80.4 years
- Field “People and Society → Life expectancy at birth → total population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Median age
- 33.5 years
- Field “People and Society → Median age → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Birth rate
- 12.08 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Birth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Death rate
- 2.86 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Death rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Fertility rate
- 1.64 children per woman
- Field “People and Society → Total fertility rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Population growth
- +0.79% a year
- Field “People and Society → Population growth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Urban population
- 89.9%
- Field “People and Society → Urbanization → urban population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Literacy
- 97.8%
- Field “People and Society → Literacy → total population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Languages
- Arabicofficial
- English
- Farsi
- Urdu
- Field “People and Society → Languages → Languages” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Religions
- Muslim74.2%
- other25.9%
- Field “People and Society → Religions” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Land
- Total area
- 760 km²Land 760 km² · Water 0 km²
- Field “Geography → Area → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Coastline
- 161 km
- Field “Geography → Coastline” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Land borders
- 0 km
- Field “Geography → Land boundaries → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Highest point
- 135 m Jabal ad Dukhan
- Field “Geography → Elevation → highest point” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.
Connections
Within
Contains
Natural geography 1
Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID
Gulfs 1
Largest cities 1
Population · Natural Earth
- Manamacapital563.9K