Bahrain Basic Information

The Kingdom of Bahrain represents a relatively small market for the Czech Republic, with million inhabitants and with an overlap with the markets of the GCC states (Gulf Cooperation Council – SAU, ARE, OMN, KWT, QAT, BHR). This market is characterized by a higher purchasing power and high-quality modern goods are used in it. Bahrain is widely considered to be the poorest country in the GCC, with a GDP per capita of USD 23,504 (according to WB 2019). By the way, this corresponds to the level of the Czech Republic (23,490 USD / inhabitant).

Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy. The supreme representative is King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is the king’s successor, prime minister and supreme commander of the armed forces. The advisory role in the country is played by the bicameral parliament, which consists of 40 elected (lower house / Majlis Al-Nuwab) and 40 deputies appointed by the king (upper house / Majlis Al-Shura).

The main pillars of the economy are the oil industry, banking and tourism. The share of services in GDP reaches 60%, industry 39% and agriculture 0.5%. Major industries include oil processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizer production, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repair and tourism. Business practices are the same as in other GCC countries. The country’s credit rating is B+ at S&P with a stable outlook and Fitch, B2 at Moody’s with a negative outlook.

Summary Territorial Information (STI) Bahrain (336.21kB) Global Industry Opportunities Map – Bahrain (MZV) (238B)

Basic information about the territory

Subchapters:

• System of governance and political tendencies in the country
• Foreign policy of the country
• Population

The system of governance and political tendencies in the country

The official name of the state is the Kingdom of Bahrain. The polity is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The highest representative of the country is His Royal Highness Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The king’s successor, prime minister and supreme commander of the armed forces is the king’s eldest son – Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The prime minister is appointed by the monarch. The supreme law is the Constitution of 2002, the amendment of which requires a two-thirds majority of the members of both houses of parliament and the consent of the king. The state religion is Islam, the official language is Arabic. The bicameral parliament has a rather consultative role in the country, in which 40 elected (lower chamber / Majlis Al-Nuwab) and 40 deputies appointed by the king (upper chamber / Majlis Al-Shura) sit. There are no political parties in the country. The legal system is a mixture of Islamic law (Sharia), English common law. Check equzhou to learn more about Bahrain political system.

Cabinet composition (abbreviation JKV – His/Her Royal Highness, JV – His/Her Highness):

• Prime Minister: HRH Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
• Deputy Prime Minister: HE Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa
• Deputy Prime Minister: HE Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
• Deputy Prime Minister: Jawad bin Salem Al Arrayed
• Deputy Prime Minister: Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa
• Minister of Cabinet Affairs: Mohammed bin Ebrahim Al Mutawa
• Minister of Interior: Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa
• Minister of Foreign Affairs: Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani
• Minister of Finance and National Economy: Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
• Minister of Education: Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi
• Minister of Electricity and Water: Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak
• Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Foundations: Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa
• Minister of Public Works, Municipalities and Regional Development: Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf
• Minister of Labor and Social Development: Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan
• Minister of Transport and Telecommunications: Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed
• Minister of Housing Affairs: Bassem bin Yacoub Al Hamer
• Minister of Parliamentary Affairs: Ghanim bin Fadhel Al Buainain
• Minister of Health: Faeqa bint Saeed Al-Saleh
• Minister of Youth and Sports: Aymen Tawfiq Almoayyed
• Defense Minister: Abdullah Bin Hassan Al Noaimi
• Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism: Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani
• Minister of Information: Ali bin Mohammed Al-Rumaihi
• Minister of Petroleum Industry: Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa

Foreign policy of the country

Bahrain plays a moderate role in foreign policy. Its positions are basically in line with the countries of the region, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign policy is largely oriented towards neighboring states in the region. Bahrain also has close relations with the USA (the USA uses a naval base in Bahrain). Bahrain also has an intense level of mutual relations with Great Britain, from which it became independent in 1971, India and Pakistan. Check recipesinthebox for Bahrain defense and foreign policy.

In 2020, Bahrain concluded an agreement on the normalization of relations with Israel (Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations). In economic matters, Bahrain presents itself as a strategic business (or financial) node in the wider region of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. The largest export markets for Bahraini goods in 2019 (pre-pandemic) were the UAE, KSA, Japan and the USA, with the largest imports coming from the UAE, China, KSA and the USA.

Bahrain is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the United Nations, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and others.

Population

Million people live in Bahrain, of which 719.3 thousand are citizens of Bahraini nationality. (47.9%). They are also residents of Asian countries (45.5%), other Arab countries (4.7%), African (1.6%), European 1% and other (1.2%) countries. As for the religious composition, it is mostly Muslims (70.2%), Christians 10.2%, and other religions 19.6%. The population speaks Arabic (the official language), English, Persian and Urdu. The population is generally young, 55% of the population is under 35 years of age and men predominate in it (in the working age of 25-64, the ratio of men to women is close to 2:1, but the figure is distorted by the fact that the overwhelming majority of foreign workers are men. the ratio of men and women in Bahrain is almost equal).

Age distribution

• 0-14 years: 19.4%
• 15-24 years: 12%
• 25-54 years: 58.3%
• 55-64 years: 6.86%
• 65 and over: 3.6%