Bahrain

In 1783, the Sunni AL-KHALIFA family took power in Bahrain. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. A steady decline in oil production and reserves since 1970 prompted Bahrain to take steps to diversify its economy, in the process developing petroleum processing and refining, aluminum production, and hospitality and retail sectors. It has also endeavored to become a leading regional banking center, especially with respect to Islamic finance. Bahrain's small size, central location among Gulf countries, economic dependence on Saudi Arabia, and proximity to Iran require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Its foreign policy activities usually fall in line with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In 2022, the United States designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally.

The Sunni royal family has long struggled to manage relations with its Shia-majority population. In 2011, amid Arab uprisings elsewhere in the region, the Bahraini Government responded to similar pro-democracy and reform protests at home 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 to enhance cooperation across a wide range of areas, from defense and security to emerging technology, trade, and investment.

Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

26 00 N, 50 33 E

Middle East

3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

161 km

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

mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

40 sq km (2012)

Arabian Aquifer System

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

periodic droughts; dust storms

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

Bahraini 47.4%, Asian 43.4%, other Arab 4.9%, African 1.4%, North American 1.1%, Gulf Co-operative countries 0.9%, European 0.8%, other 0.1% (2020 est.)

Muslim 74.2%, other 25.9% (2020 est)

0.79% (2025 est.)

12.08 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.86 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 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

709,000 MANAMA (capital) (2023)

17 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.64 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.81 (2025 est.)

0.74 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

29.8% (2016)

56.4% (2020 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

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

51.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

116 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

constitutional monarchy

4 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Asimah (Capital), Janubiyah (Southern), Muharraq, Shamaliyah (Northern)

mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law, English common law, Egyptian civil, criminal, and commercial codes; customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

20 years of age; universal

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CICA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

15 August 1971 (from the UK)

National Day, 16 December (1971)

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

a white serrated band with five white points on top of a red field

red, white

$47.737 billion (2024 est.)

lamb/mutton, dates, milk, tomatoes, chicken, eggs, sheep offal, sheepskins, eggplants, chillies/peppers (2023)

petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism

0.1% (2023 est.)

913,300 (2024 est.)

2.8% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

UAE 16%, Saudi Arabia 15%, South Africa 8%, USA 6%, India 4% (2023)

refined petroleum, aluminum, iron ore, aluminum wire, jewelry (2023)

China 13%, Saudi Arabia 12%, UAE 11%, Brazil 8%, Australia 7% (2023)

iron ore, aluminum oxide, ships, cars, gold (2023)

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)

.bh

A9C

3 (2025)

8 (2025)

Bahrain Defense Force (BDF): Royal Bahraini Army (includes the Royal Guard), Royal Bahraini Navy, Royal Bahraini Air Force

Ministry of Interior: National Guard, Special Security Forces Command (SSFC), Coast Guard (2025)

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

the military's inventory is comprised of mostly older US armaments alongside smaller quantities from other countries, such as France, Germany, Turkey, and the UK (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-55 to voluntarily join the reserves (2025)

the BDF (established 1968) is responsible for territorial defense and support to internal security; its primary concern is Iran, both the conventional military threat and Tehran's support to regional terrorist groups; the BDF participates in multinational exercises and has conducted small deployments outside of the country; in 2015, for example, Bahrain joined the Saudi Arabia-led military intervention in Yemen, supplying a few hundred troops and combat aircraft

Bahrain’s closest security partners are Saudi Arabia and the US; Bahraini leaders have said that the security ties of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are “indivisible”; Saudi Arabia sent forces to Bahrain to assist with internal security following the 2011 uprising; Bahrain hosts the US Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT; established 1983), which includes the US 5th Fleet and the Combined Maritime Forces (established 2002), a coalition of more than 30 nations providing maritime security for regional shipping lanes; Bahrain also has close security ties with the UK, which maintains a naval support facility there

Bahrain hosts the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Unified Maritime Operations Center and is a member of the Peninsula Shield Forces, a joint military force established by the GCC countries with the aim of maintaining security and stability in the region (2025)

Bahrain Space Agency (BSA; established 2014) (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

al-Ashtar Brigades; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force