Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Bahrain
Bahrain: Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World was 19.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Bahrain, 1973–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Bahrain stood at 19.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.6% on the previous year and down 66.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Bahrain peaked at 63.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2010.
That places Bahrain 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 42.2% | — |
| 1974 | 63.2% | +50.0% |
| 1975 | 55.0% | -13.0% |
| 1976 | 44.6% | -18.8% |
| 1977 | 47.1% | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 46.3% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 52.6% | +13.5% |
| 1980 | 60.3% | +14.7% |
| 1981 | 63.0% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 51.4% | -18.4% |
| 1983 | 46.5% | -9.6% |
| 1984 | 50.6% | +8.9% |
| 1985 | 50.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 46.2% | -8.7% |
| 1987 | 51.6% | +11.7% |
| 1988 | 48.7% | -5.7% |
| 1989 | 49.1% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 58.2% | +18.5% |
| 1991 | 46.2% | -20.7% |
| 1992 | 44.4% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 41.0% | -7.8% |
| 1994 | 41.3% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 46.8% | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 49.1% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 48.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 29.4% | -39.8% |
| 1999 | 29.6% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | -43.9% |
| 2001 | 17.0% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 17.7% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 18.2% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -18.7% |
| 2006 | 20.6% | +39.0% |
| 2007 | 19.2% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | -14.6% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | +14.4% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | -40.0% |
| 2011 | 50.9% | +353.3% |
| 2012 | 19.0% | -62.8% |
| 2013 | 57.8% | +204.9% |
| 2014 | 50.2% | -13.2% |
| 2015 | 38.7% | -22.8% |
| 2016 | 36.0% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 20.9% | -42.0% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 41.3% | +114.1% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -58.3% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 17.9% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 19.6% | +9.6% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 19.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 18.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 19.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.9%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Bahrain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +353.3% | 11.2% | 50.9% |
| 2013 | +204.9% | 19.0% | 57.8% |
| 2019 | +114.1% | 19.3% | 41.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.1% | 42.2% | 63.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | 51.8% | 46.2% | 63.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.5% | 29.4% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.6% | 14.8% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.5% | 11.2% | 57.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.1% | 17.3% | 19.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More private sector data for Bahrain
- Merchandise trade 87.6% (2025)
- Food imports 15.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 57.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 16.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 8.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 26.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 26.46 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 16,531 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5403 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 8.97 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Bahrain?
- Merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Bahrain was 19.6% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 63.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2010.
- How does Bahrain rank for merchandise imports from economies in the arab world?
- Bahrain ranks 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bahrain data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.