13 answers, 6 from Bahrain's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
60,723 students were enrolled in higher education institutions in Bahrain in the 2025/26 academic year, according to Higher Education Council data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal. 41,824 were at public institutions and 18,899 at private ones. The total for 2024/25 was 52,674.
The figures are summed from the council's enrolment table by sector, age group and sex, and cover all levels of higher education. The council publishes separate tables by field of study, nationality and graduates.
97.8% of people aged 15 and over in Bahrain could read and write in 2024, according to literacy data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal. The rate was 98.7% for men and 96.3% for women. Among 15 to 24 year olds it was 99.5%.
The gap is mostly among older people: literacy among those aged 65 and over was 84.8%, and 74.4% for older women. The figures cover the whole resident population, including non-Bahrainis.
The primary completion rate in Bahrain was 94.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank. Gross enrolment in higher education was 58.4% in 2024.
The completion rate compares children entering the last grade of primary school with the population of that age, so it is a proxy, not a count of children who finished. Gross tertiary enrolment compares all higher education students with the population aged about 18 to 22.
Government spending on education in Bahrain was 1.9% of GDP in 2023, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank.
The figure covers public spending only, compiled by UNESCO from government data. What families pay for private schools is not counted. A share of GDP shows size relative to the economy, not spending per pupil.
15,844 students finished secondary school in Bahrain in 2022, 11,859 from government schools and 3,985 from private schools, according to school graduates data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal.
The same dataset counts 18,149 intermediate graduates (12,982 government, 5,167 private) and 17,689 primary graduates (11,672 government, 6,017 private) in 2022. 2022 is the latest year published, and the Ministry of Education is the publisher.
There were 23.6 students per teacher in Bahrain's higher education institutions in 2025/26, according to Higher Education Council data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal. The ratio was 24.2 in public institutions and 22.2 in private ones.
The ratio divides enrolled students by teaching staff and does not adjust for part-time staff or students. It was 21.4 in 2024/25 and 27.5 in 2022/23.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
96.7%: that is net primary school enrolment in Bahrain for 2018, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2017, at 97.3%; its low point was 2005, at 89.1%. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 94.1%, and Bahrain placed 4th highest of 11. Worldwide: 11th of 69.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 98.8%. Its high point since 2005 was 2013, at 107.6%; its low point was 2005, at 81.3%. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 95.1%; Bahrain is 5th highest of 13. Worldwide: 38th of 100.
58.4%: that is gross tertiary enrolment in Bahrain for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the highest since at least 2005. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 48.2%; Bahrain is 3rd highest of 11. Worldwide: 36th of 90.
In 2024, the adult literacy rate in Bahrain was 97.8%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That compares with 86.6% in 2001.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in Bahrain was 1.9% of GDP in 2023. Its high point since 2006 was 2006, at 2.9% of GDP; its low point was 2022, at 1.7% of GDP. It is 9th highest of 10 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 4.0% of GDP. Worldwide: 100th of 112.
In 2018, the number of primary pupils per teacher in Bahrain was 12, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2011 it has ranged from 12 (2014) to 12 (2017). Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 19; Bahrain is 11th highest of 13. Worldwide: 77th of 85.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the primary completion rate in Bahrain was 94.1% in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2013, at 104.9%; its low point was 2023, at 88.6%. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 97.0%; Bahrain is 8th highest of 11. Worldwide: 61st of 104.
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