Demographics of Bahrain

Demographics of Bahrain
Population1,588,670 (2024)
Growth rate0.88% (2022 est.)
Birth rate12.4 births/1,000 population
Death rate2.82 deaths/1,000 population
Life expectancy79.9 years
 • male77.63 years
 • female82.24 years
Fertility rate1.67
Infant mortality rate10.19 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years20.13%
15–64 years76.71%
65 and over3.16%
Nationality
NationalityBahraini
Major ethnicBahraini - 46%
Language
OfficialArabic
SpokenArabic (Bahraini, Bahrani), Persian, English, Urdu
Demographics of Bahrain, Data of FAO, year 2005; Number of permanent inhabitants in thousands.

The demographics of the population of Bahrain includes population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Most of the population of Bahrain is concentrated in the two principal cities, Manama and Al Muharraq.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1950116,000—    
1960162,000+3.40%
1970212,000+2.73%
1980358,000+5.38%
1990493,000+3.25%
2000638,000+2.61%
20101,262,000+7.06%
20201,501,635+1.75%
20241,588,670+1.42%
Source:[1]

Population census

Population of Bahrain according to nationality 1941-2024[2]
census yearBahraininon-Bahrainitotal population
#%#%
194174,040
82.3%
15,930
17.7%
89,970
195091,179
83.2%
18,471
16.8%
109,650
1959118,734
83.0%
24,401
17.0%
143,135
1965143,814
78.9%
38,389
21.1%
182,203
1971178,193
82.5%
37,885
17.5%
216,078
1981238,420
68.0%
112,378
32.0%
350,798
1991323,305
63.6%
184,732
36.4%
508,037
2001405,667
62.4%
244,937
37.6%
650,604
2010568,399
46.0%
666,172
54.0%
1,234,571
2020712,362
47.4%
789,273
52.6%
1,501,635
2024739,736
46.6%
848,934
53.4%
1,588,670

Structure of the population

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 17.III.2020):[3][4]

Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal
#%
Total942,895558,7401,501,635
100%
0-452,59151,012103,603
6.90%
5-953,57851,416104,994
6.99%
10-1447,81245,86493,676
6.24%
15-1941,06238,27679,338
5.28%
20-2460,70640,725101,431
6.75%
25-29101,40154,679156,080
10.39%
30-34154,21557,757211,972
14.12%
35-39134,08351,794185,877
12.38%
40-4495,10444,385139,489
9.29%
45-4970,46733,509103,976
6.92%
50-5449,62127,78677,407
5.15%
55-5934,49823,09557,593
3.84%
60-6422,41816,35338,771
2.58%
65-6912,4999,20016,877
1.44%
70-746,1845,17711,361
0.76%
75-793,2163,3636,579
0.44%
80-842,0022,4524,454
0.30%
85+1,4381,8973,335
0.22%
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal
0-14153,981148,292302,273
20.13%
15-64763,575388,3591,151,934
76.71%
65+25,33922,08947,428
3.16%

Vital statistics

UN estimates

Period[5]Live births per yearDeaths per yearNatural change per yearCBR*CDR*NC*TFR*IMR*
1950–19556,0003,0003,00045.021.623.46.97183
1955–19607,0003,0004,00045.717.727.96.97156
1960–19658,0002,0006,00045.712.633.27.18112
1965–19708,0002,0007,00041.68.732.96.9774
1970–19758,0002,0007,00035.26.528.65.9549
1975–198010,0002,0009,00033.04.828.15.2333
1980–198513,0002,00011,00032.94.128.84.6322
1985–199014,0002,00013,00031.33.627.74.0816
1990–199514,0002,00012,00026.33.323.13.3514
1995–200014,0002,00012,00023.13.219.92.8911
2000–200514,0002,00012,00021.13.018.12.629
2005–201021,0003,00018,00020.72.818.02.637
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Registered data

Birth registration of Bahrain is available from 1976, death registration started in 1990. Between 1976 and 2011 the number of baby births roughly doubled but the birth rate of babies decreased from 32 to 13 per 1,000. The death rate of Bahrain (1.9 per 1,000 human beings in 2011) is among the lowest in the world.

[6][7][8]Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Total Fertility Rate per woman
19655,150
19664,860
19675,179
19685,274
19716,404
19727,274
19737,679
19747,612
19757,767
1976282,0008,98431.8
1977302,0009,0588728,18630.02.927.1
1978322,0009,3981,0028,39629.23.126.1
1979341,0009,6641,0378,62728.33.025.3
1980358,00010,1401,0859,05528.33.025.3
1981372,00010,3001,0659,23527.72.924.8
1982384,00011,0371,1199,91828.82.925.9
1983394,00011,4311,06410,36729.02.726.3
1984405,00011,5191,30310,21628.53.225.3
1985417,00012,3141,21211,10229.52.926.6
1986431,00012,8931,42311,47029.93.326.6
1987446,00012,6991,58411,11528.53.624.9
1988462,00012,5551,52311,03227.23.323.9
1989478,00013,6111,55112,06028.53.225.3
1990493,00013,3701,55211,81827.13.124.0
1991503,05213,2291,74411,48526.13.422.7
1992516,45813,8741,76012,11426.73.423.3
1993530,22514,1911,71412,47726.73.223.5
1994544,36613,7661,69512,07125.23.122.1
1995558,87913,4811,91011,57124.13.420.7
1996573,79213,1231,78011,34322.83.119.7
1997589,11513,3821,82211,56022.63.119.5
1998604,84213,3811,99711,38421.93.318.6
1999620,98914,2801,92012,36022.83.119.72.9
2000637,58213,9472,04511,90221.93.218.72.8
2001661,31713,4681,97911,48921.03.117.92.6
2002710,55413,5762,03511,54121.13.217.92.4
2003764,51914,5602,11412,44622.53.319.22.4
2004823,74414,9682,21512,75322.33.319.02.3
2005888,82415,1982,22212,97621.03.117.92.1
2006960,42515,0532,31712,73618.62.915.72.0
20071,039,29716,0622,27013,79217.42.514.91.964
20081,103,49617,0222,39014,63216.22.313.91.968
20091,178,41517,8412,38715,45415.12.013.11.951
20101,228,54318,1502,40115,74914.82.012.81.877
20111,195,02017,5732,52815,04514.72.112.61.967
20121,208,96419,1192,61316,50615.82.213.62.134
20131,253,19119,9952,58817,40716.02.113.92.157
20141,314,56220,9312,80518,12615.92.113.82.108
20151,370,32220,9832,78718,19615.32.113.22.093
20161,423,72620,7142,85817,85614.52.012.51.984
20171,501,11620,5812,90217,67913.71.911.81.945
20181,503,09119,7403,05216,66813.12.011.11.838
20191,483,75618,6113,01015,60112.52.010.51.744
20201,472,20418,0423,48814,55412.32.49.91.846
20211,504,36517,8054,60113,20411.83.18.71.612
20221,524,69317,8013,52114,28011.72.39.41.640
20231,577,059
20241,588,670

Life expectancy

PeriodLife expectancy in
Years		PeriodLife expectancy in
Years
1950–195543.01985–199071.8
1955–196048.51990–199572.9
1960–196555.31995–200073.9
1965–197061.12000–200574.9
1970–197565.42005–201075.7
1975–198068.32010–201576.4
1980–198570.5

Source: UN World Population Prospects[9]

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in Bahrain (2020)[10]
Ethnic groups
Bahraini citizens
 
47.4%
Asian (mostly South Asia)
 
43.4%
other Arabs
 
5.8%
African
 
1.4%
European
 
0.8%
North Americans
 
1.1%
Others
 
0.1%
Ethnic diversity of Bahrain

Regarding the ethnicity of Bahrainis, a Financial Times article published on 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot state, both religiously and racially. Discounting temporary immigrants of the past ten years, there are at least eight or nine communities on the island".[11] Furthermore, sources claim that the government of Bahrain is said to have naturalised Sunnis from different countries to increase the Sunni population in comparison to the Indigenous Shias including people from India, Pakistan, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Egypt.[12][13] These may be classified as:

CommunityDescription
Baharna/BahranisThe indigenous inhabitants of Bahrain. The overwhelming majority are Shia.[11]
Ajams (Iranic and Iranian roots)Iranic; Lurs (Shia), Achomis (Sunni, Shia) , Baluchs (Sunnis), Turkic; Azeris, Qashqai...
Bahraini Jews[11]Jews have inhabited Bahrain for centuries. Most native Bahraini Jews are of Mesopotamian and Persian descent.
Huwala ArabsSunni Arabs who re-migrated back from the southern coasts of Iran
Tribal ArabsUrbanized Sunni Bahrainis of Bedouin ancestry, such as the Utoob, Dawasir etc.[11]
Najdis[11]Non-tribal urban Sunni Arabs from Najd in central Arabia.[11]
Afro-ArabsDescendants of Africans, primarily from East Africa and of mostly Sunni faith
Banyan (Bania)Indians who traded with Bahrain and settled before the age of oil (formerly known as the Hunood or Banyan, Arabic: البونيان), of mostly Hindu faith.[11]

Non-nationals make up more than half of the population of Bahrain, with immigrants making up about 52.6% of the overall population.[14] Of those, the vast majority come from South and Southeast Asia: according to various media reports and government statistics dated between 2005 and 2012 roughly 350,000 Indians,[15] 150,000 Bangladeshis,[16] 110,000 Pakistanis,[17] 40,000 Filipinos,[18] and 8,000 Indonesians.[19] In 2023, about 4,000 people from the United Kingdom live in Bahrain,[20] although some estimates are double this number.[21]

[3]PopulationPercentage
Bahraini712,362
47.4%
Other Arabs86,823
5.8%
African21,502
1.4%
North American16,415
1.1%
Asian650,996
43.4%
European11,750
0.8%
Others1,787
0.1%
total1,501,635
100%

The following is a firm containing estimates from countries' embassies:[22]

NationalityPopulation% of populationYear of data
Bahrain712,36251%2022
India350,00025.0%2015
Bangladesh110,0007.88%2015
Pakistan100,0007.16%2015
Philippines50,000-60,0004.30%2015
Egypt22,0001.57%2015
Sri Lanka20,0001.43%2015
  Nepal20,0001.43%2015
Indonesia10,0000.71%2015
UK9,0000.64%2013
USA8,2000.58%2014
Iran5,000-7,0000.50%2015
Jordan6,000-7,0000.50%2015
Sudan6,0000.43%2015
Saudi Arabia5,0000.35%2015
Morocco4,7500.34%2015
Thailand4,0000.28%2015
Iraq3,5000.25%2015
New Zealand2,5000.17%2015
Turkey2,0000.14%2015
Tunisia1,5000.10%2015
China1,000<0.1%2015
Ukraine400<0.1%2015
Malaysia400<0.1%2015
Poland350<0.1%2015
Libya300-350<0.1%2015
Italy350<0.1%2013
Russia300<0.1%2015
Germany300<0.1%2015
Japan260<0.1%2015
South Korea220<0.1%2013
Cyprus200<0.1%2015
Ireland157<0.1%2015
Denmark150<0.1%2015
 Switzerland122<0.1%2015
Venezuela100<0.1%2015
Uganda100<0.1%2015
Cameroon50-100<0.1%2015
Sweden83<0.1%2015
Kazakhstan20<0.1%2015
Mongolia4<0.1%2015

Genetics

Ancient DNA and genetic history

A 2024 study sequenced whole genomes from four individuals who lived in Bahrain during the Tylos period (circa 300 BCE to 600 CE). The genetic makeup of these ancient Bahrainis revealed a blend of ancestries, primarily tracing back to ancient populations of the Near East. Analysis indicated that their genetic heritage is best described as a mixture of Ancient Anatolia, Levant, and Iran/Caucasus.[23]

Subtle genetic differences were observed among the four individuals, suggesting a degree of population diversity within Bahrain even before the Islamic era. One individual displayed a stronger affinity to Levantine populations, while others showed closer genetic links to groups from Iran and the Caucasus.[23]

Comparing the ancient Bahraini genomes to those of modern populations revealed notable connections. Genetically, the Tylos-period individuals showed closer affinities to present-day inhabitants of Iraq and the Levant than to modern-day Arabians from the peninsula.[23]

Malaria adaptation

The G6PD Mediterranean mutation, known to provide protection against malaria, was found in three out of the four ancient individuals. Genetic analysis suggests that this mutation began to increase in frequency in Eastern Arabia around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. This timeframe coincides with the emergence of agriculture in the region, which could have inadvertently created environments conducive to malaria-carrying mosquitoes, thus driving natural selection for malaria resistance.[23]

Haplogroups

Y-chromosome DNA
Proportions of predicted Y-DNA haplogroups observed in the four governorates of Bahrain (Study of 2020)

Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) represents the male lineage. In 2020, a study was made on 562 unrelated Bahraini males.[24] Paternal population structure within Bahrain was investigated using the 27 Y-STRs (short tandem repeats) in the Yfiler Plus kit to generate haplotypes from 562 unrelated Bahraini males, sub-divided into four geographical regions—Northern, Capital, Southern and Muharraq.[24]

Haplogroup prediction indicated diverse origins of the population with a predominance of haplogroups J2 and J1, but also haplogroups such as B2 and E1b1a likely originating in Africa, and H, L and R2 likely indicative of migration from South Asia.[24] Haplogroup frequencies differed significantly between regions, with J2 significantly more common in the Northern region compared with the Southern, possibly due to differential settlement by Baharna, Ajams and Arabs.[24]

reach of Haplotype J2

Haplogroup prediction suggests that haplogroup J2 is the most common in the Bahraini population (It is thought that J-M172 may have originated in the Caucasus, Anatolia or Western Iran) encompassing 27.6% of the sample, followed by J1 (23.0%), E1b1b (8.9%), E1b1a (8.6%) and R1a (8.4%), with other predicted haplogroups (G, T, L, R1b, Q, R2, B2, E2, H and C) occurring at progressively lower frequencies.[24]

Spread of Haplotype J1

Haplogroup J1 is most frequent in the Southern Governorate (27%) where the highest proportion of Arabs live, and in the Muharraq Governorate (27%) where many migrant Huwala Arabs resettled, and it declines to its lowest frequency in the Northern and Capital Governorates (21% and 19%).[24]

By contrast, the Northern and Capital Governorates where the Baharna and Ajam are most represented show higher frequencies of haplogroup J2 (34% and 31%) than in Muharraq and the Southern Governorate (both 17%).[24]

Languages

Religion

[3]MenWomenTotalBahrainiNon-Bahraini
Muslims674,329437,2041,111,533710,067401,466
Others268,566121,536390,1022,295387,807
Total942,895558,7401,501,635712,362789,273
Muslim %74.0%99.7%50.9%
Religion in Bahrain (ARDA 2020 est.)[25]
  1. Shia (52.4%)
  2. Sunni (28.2%)
  3. Christianity (12.1%)
  4. Hinduism (6.38%)
  5. None (0.45%)
  6. Other (0.52%)

Islam is the official religion forming 74% of the population.[3] Current census data does not differentiate between the other religions in Bahrain, but in 2022, the country was approximately 12%[26] Christian and had about 40[26][27] Jewish citizens.

According to the website of Ministry of Information Affairs, 74% of the population are Muslim, with Christians being the second largest religious group, forming 10.2% of the population, Jews making up 0.21%. The percentage of local Bahraini Christians, Jews, Hindus and Baha'is is collectively 0.2%.[28][3]

Bahraini citizens of Muslim faith belong to the Shi'a and Sunni branches of Islam. The last official census (1941) to include sectarian identification reported 52% (88,298 citizens) as Shia and 48% as Sunni of the Muslim population.[29][11] Unofficial sources, such as the Library of Congress Country Studies,[30] and The New York Times,[31] estimate sectarian identification to be approximately 45% Sunni and 55% Shia. An official Bahraini document revealed that 51% of the country's citizens are Sunnis, while the Shiite population has declined to 49% of the Muslim population.[32]

Foreigners, overwhelmingly from South Asia and other Arab countries, constituted 52.6% of the population in 2020.[3] Of these, 50.9% are Muslim and 49.1% are non-Muslim,[3] including Christians (primarily: Catholic, Protestant, Syriac Orthodox, and Mar Thoma from South India), Hindus, Buddhists, Baháʼís, and Sikhs.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ "World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision". Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  2. ^ "Facts & Figures". www.bahrain.bh. Archived from the original on 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Kingdom of Bahrain Open Data Portal: Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  4. ^ "UNSD - Demographic and Social Statistics".
  5. ^ "World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision". Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 2013-05-03 at the Wayback Machine Ministry of Health Statistics
  7. ^ "Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (2002–2016)" (PDF). United Nations Statistics Division. 2 January 2018.
  8. ^ United nations. Demographic Yearbooks
  9. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  10. ^ "Middle East: Bahrain". CIA The World Factbook. 23 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "BAHRAIN". www.solarnavigator.net. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  12. ^ "Bahrainis allege a plot to change country's sectarian balance". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  13. ^ "Shias accuse Bahrain of naturalising more Sunnis – GCC". Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  14. ^ "Bahrain". Central Intelligence Agency. September 27, 2021 – via CIA.gov.
  15. ^ "Information Wing: Indian Community". eoi.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  16. ^ "Relation". Embassy of Bangladesh in Bahrain. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.mofa.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Hampton, Maricar (6 July 2012). "Filipinos etching credible mark in Bahrain". FilAm Star. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Indonesians encouraged", Gulf Daily News, 2007-08-07, archived from the original on 2011-06-08, retrieved 2009-05-12
  20. ^ UK Government website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
  21. ^ British Expat Guide website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
  22. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20180207171749/http://www.bq-magazine.com/economy/socioeconomics/2015/08/bahrains-population-by-nationality archived from the original
  23. ^ a b c d Martiniano, Rui; Haber, Marc; Almarri, Mohamed A.; Mattiangeli, Valeria; Kuijpers, Mirte C.M.; Chamel, Berenice; Breslin, Emily M.; Littleton, Judith; Almahari, Salman; Aloraifi, Fatima; Bradley, Daniel G.; Lombard, Pierre; Durbin, Richard (March 2024). "Ancient genomes illuminate Eastern Arabian population history and adaptation against malaria". Cell Genomics. 4 (3) 100507. doi:10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100507. ISSN 2666-979X. PMC 10943591.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Al-Snan, Noora R.; Messaoudi, Safia A.; Khubrani, Yahya M.; Wetton, Jon H.; Jobling, Mark A.; Bakhiet, Moiz (2020). "Geographical structuring and low diversity of paternal lineages in Bahrain shown by analysis of 27 Y-STRs". Molecular Genetics and Genomics. 295 (6): 1315–1324. doi:10.1007/s00438-020-01696-4. ISSN 1617-4615. PMC 7524810. PMID 32588126. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  25. ^ "Religions in Bahrain | Arda". www.thearda.com. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
  26. ^ a b US State Dept 2022 report
  27. ^ "Low profile but welcome: a Jewish outpost in the Gulf". Independent. 2 Nov 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  28. ^ "Population and Demographics - Ministry of Information Affairs | Kingdom of Bahrain". Archived from the original on 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  29. ^ Qubain, Fahim Issa (1955) "Social Classes and Tensions in Bahrain." The Middle East Journal 9, no. 3: 269–280, p. 270
  30. ^ Bahrain Country Study Library of Congress
  31. ^ 1981 Plot in Bahrain linked to Iranians New York Times, 25 July 1982, retrieved 20 June 2018
  32. ^ Al Jazeera: وثيقة بحرينية: الشيعة أقل من النصف, 1973, retrieved 14 February 2021

Sources

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2025 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2006 edition.)

  • 2003 U.S. Department of State website
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demographics_of_Bahrain&oldid=1324359256#Ethnic_groups"