Overview: Petroleum production and processing account for about 80% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil since 1985, for example, during and following the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. Bahrain with its highly developed communication and transport facilities is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Prospects for 1994 are good, with private enterprise the main driving force, e.g., in banking and construction.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 4% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $12,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8%-10% (1989)

Budget:
revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Exports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 80%, aluminum 7%
partners: Japan 13%, UAE 12%, India 10%, Pakistan 8%, Singapore 6% (1991)

Imports: $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
partners: Saudi Arabia 42%, US 14%, UK 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 4% (1991)

External debt: $2.6 billion (1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for 44% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 1,600,000 kW
production: 4.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 8,500 kWh (1992)

Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing

Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP; not self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, fish

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $45 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion

Currency: 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Bahrain on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bahrain Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bahrain Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.