Bahrain: health and care

What is the life expectancy in Bahrain?

Life expectancy at birth in Bahrain was 81.4 years in 2024, up from 81.3 in 2023, according to the World Bank. The Ministry of Health publishes births, deaths and causes of death on the Bahrain Open Data Portal.

Life expectancy at birth summarises the death rates of a given year; it is not a forecast for people born that year.

Official sources: World Bank: Life expectancy at birth, Bahrain

What is the fertility rate in Bahrain?

The total fertility rate among Bahraini women was 2.2 children per woman in 2024, up from 1.9 in 2023, according to Ministry of Health data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal. Among non-Bahraini women it was 0.9. There were 16,787 live births in Bahrain in 2024, down from 17,429 in 2023, according to the ministry's live births data.

The fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have over her life at current birth rates. A rate of about 2.1 keeps a population stable without migration.

Official sources: Bahrain Open Data: Total fertility rate · Bahrain Open Data: Live births by nationality and sex

How many hospitals are there in Bahrain?

Bahrain had 10 government hospitals, 24 private hospitals and 27 government health centres in 2025, the same as in 2024, according to the National Health Regulatory Authority.

The figures count licensed facilities, not beds or staff. The NHRA licenses both public and private providers and publishes the counts on the Bahrain Open Data Portal; the Ministry of Health publishes hospital admissions.

Official sources: Bahrain Open Data: Number of hospitals and health units by sector

What do people in Bahrain die of?

Diseases of the circulatory system, such as heart disease and stroke, caused 1,530 of the 3,482 deaths registered in Bahrain in 2024, or 43.9%, according to Ministry of Health cause of death data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal. Cancers caused 544 deaths (15.6%) and external causes such as accidents 264.

Causes are classified from death certificates. Death rates differ widely by nationality. The crude death rate in 2024 was 3.8 per 1,000 for Bahraini men and 1.1 for non-Bahraini men, according to the crude death rate dataset.

Official sources: Bahrain Open Data Portal: deaths by underlying cause · Bahrain Open Data Portal: crude death rate

How many Bahrainis are diagnosed with cancer?

1,022 new cancer cases among Bahrainis were recorded in 2024, according to Ministry of Health cancer data on the Bahrain Open Data Portal, down from 1,294 in 2023. Breast cancer was the most common, with 323 cases among women, followed by prostate cancer with 116 cases among men.

The figures cover Bahraini citizens only. The Ministry of Health publishes the counts by sex and type of cancer.

Official sources: Bahrain Open Data Portal: cancer cases among Bahrainis

How common is diabetes in Bahrain?

22.1% of adults aged 20 to 79 in Bahrain had diabetes in 2024, according to estimates from the International Diabetes Federation published by the World Bank. 68.7% of adults were overweight in 2022, according to WHO estimates.

Both are modelled estimates, not counts of diagnosed patients. The diabetes figure is age-standardised so that countries can be compared, and includes people who do not know they have the condition.

Official sources: World Bank: diabetes prevalence, Bahrain · World Bank: overweight adults, Bahrain

How many children die before age five in Bahrain?

8.8 children per 1,000 live births died before their fifth birthday in Bahrain in 2024, according to UN inter-agency estimates published by the World Bank. Ministry of Health infant death data records 147 deaths of babies under one year old in 2024, up from 127 in 2023.

The World Bank figure is a modelled rate; the ministry's figure is a count from registered deaths. Measles vaccination coverage was 99% in 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates.

Official sources: World Bank: under-five mortality, Bahrain · Bahrain Open Data Portal: infant deaths · World Bank: measles immunisation, Bahrain

How much does Bahrain spend on health?

Current health spending in Bahrain was 4.0% of GDP in 2023, according to WHO estimates published by the World Bank. Bahrain had 1.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2022.

Current health spending counts spending by government, employers, insurers and households, but not investment in buildings or equipment. A share of GDP shows size relative to the economy, not spending per person.

Official sources: World Bank: current health expenditure, Bahrain · World Bank: hospital beds, Bahrain

What is the average life expectancy in Bahrain?

The UN Population Division puts life expectancy at birth in Bahrain at 81.4 years in 2024. No year since 2005 has been higher. It is 6th highest of 22 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 77.3 years. Worldwide: 34th of 193.

How many babies die in Bahrain?

In 2024, the infant mortality rate in Bahrain was 7.3 per 1,000, according to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 8.8 per 1,000; its low point was 2015, at 6.3 per 1,000. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 11.2 per 1,000; Bahrain is 16th highest of 22. World rank, highest first: 132nd of 192.

What is the maternal mortality rate in Bahrain?

17.0 per 100,000: that is the maternal mortality ratio in Bahrain for 2023, according to the WHO. Since 2005 it has ranged from 5.0 per 100,000 (2022) to 20.0 per 100,000 (2005). Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 18.5 per 100,000; Bahrain is 12th highest of 22. Of 192 countries with 2023 data, 128th highest.

What is Bahrain's health spending?

4.0% of GDP: that is current health spending in Bahrain for 2023, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2015, at 4.8% of GDP; its low point was 2006, at 3.0% of GDP. It is 17th highest of 22 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 5.6% of GDP. World rank, highest first: 153rd of 191.

How much of health care in Bahrain do patients pay for?

28.7%: that is out-of-pocket health spending in Bahrain for 2023, according to the WHO. The peak was 32.0% in 2017 and the low 25.8% in 2021. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 32.7%, and Bahrain placed 15th highest of 22. Of 191 countries with 2023 data, 89th highest.

How many doctors per person does Bahrain have?

According to the WHO, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Bahrain was 0.74 per 1,000 in 2020. The peak was 1.0 per 1,000 in 2012 and the low 0.69 per 1,000 in 2019. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 1.8 per 1,000; Bahrain is 11th highest of 14. Worldwide: 95th of 136.

How many hospital beds per person does Bahrain have?

1.8 per 1,000: that is hospital beds per 1,000 people in Bahrain for 2022, according to the WHO. The peak was 2.2 per 1,000 in 2005 and the low 1.7 per 1,000 in 2017. It is 6th highest of 12 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 1.6 per 1,000. Of 110 countries with 2022 data, 81st highest.

What is measles vaccine coverage in Bahrain?

WHO and UNICEF puts measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in Bahrain at 99.0% in 2024. The figure has been the same every year since 2005. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 96.0%, and Bahrain placed 1st highest of 22. Of 191 countries with 2024 data, 1st highest.