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Bahrain Population and religion percentage

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a country in the Persian Gulf. The island nation comprises a small archipelago made up of 70 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered around Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country’s landmass. Bahrain is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.

As per the UN World Population Prospects report, the estimated population of Bahrain in 2023 is 1,498,712 (1.5 million or 15 Lakh)

Bahrain Location on Map

Table of Contents

Bahrain Demographics
Bahrain 2024 Population
Total Population1,498,712
Global Rank152
Share of World Pop.0.02%
Land Area 778 sq. km (300 sq. mi)
Area Rank173
Pop. Density2239 people/sq. km
Capital CityManama
Fertility Rate* 2
Infant mortality rate ** 5.1
Median Age  32.5 Years
Life Expectancy77.73 years
Urban Population 89.30%

Source: UN World population estimates

*Fertility rate, average number of children born to women during their reproductive years.

**Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.

Religion in Bahrain

Islam is both the official and majority religion in Bahrain. Followed by  70.3% of the population and the majority of Bahraini Muslims are Shiites. It is one of three countries in the Middle East in which Shiites are the majority, the other two being Iraq and Iran.

Expatriate Christians make up the majority of Christians in Bahrain and They are around 14.5% of the total population. Hinduism is the third largest religion followed by 9.8% of the population. Most of the Hindus are expat population from India. 

Other religions represented in the country including Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism are practiced by non-nationals.

Religion in Percentage in Bahrain

ReligionPercentage
Muslim 70.30%
Christian 14.50%
Hindu 9.80%
Buddhist 2.20%
Jewish 0.30%
Other religions 1%
Unaffiliated 1.90%

Source: Pew research center

Ethnic Composition

Bahraini people are ethnically diverse. Roughly half of the population is Arab, and most inhabitants are native-born Bahrainis, but some are Palestinians, Omanis, or Saudis. Shia Bahrainis are divided into two main ethnic groups: Baharna and Ajam. The Shia Bahrainis are Baharna (Arab), and the Ajam are Persian Shias. Sunni Bahrainis are mainly divided into two main ethnic groups: Arabs (al-Arab) and Huwala. Sunni Arabs, while a minority, are the most influential ethnic group in Bahrain.

Foreign-born inhabitants, constituting about half of the population, are mostly from Iran, India, Pakistan, Britain, and the United States.

Ethnic Percentage

  • Bahraini Arab – 46%
  • Asians (mostly South Asians) – 45.5%
  • Other Arab – 5.4%
  • African – 1.6%
  • Europeans – 1%
  • Others – 0.5%

Source: The World Factbook 

Population of Bahrain 2024 | Religion in Bahrain

Rajeev Rana

Rajeev Rana loves reading about history and demography and has been writing on these topics for five years. While not a certified expert, he has a deep understanding of demography in India. Rajeev contributes to several websites and has extensive knowledge of the Delhi NCR area.