Country Comments

Located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain is a cluster of 35 to 45 Islands and atolls an archipelago made up of a group of islands with its main island comprising 85% of the country’s land mass.

The country’s primary industries are gas, oil and fishing. “Historically, its waters have been known for their richness, hosting more than 200 varieties of fish. However, the booming oil industry and pollution, marine life in the waters of the Gulf of Bahrain have declined drastically. With population growth and the increased production and consumption of plastic products and packaging, marine litter exacerbated the problem and contributed to the diminishing fish stocks. (1)

Bahrain’s overreliance on aquifers for fresh water has exacerbated water scarcity for the nation. The New York Times reported in January 2022 tha rising sea levels and disappearing groundwater may put an end to Bahraini farming, which has been challenging already in this arid country, for good. By 2025, shortages of water may affect as many as 30 percent of Bahrainis. The World Resources Institute expects Bahrain to become one of the world’s seven most “water-stressed” countries by 2040.

Although women’s rights have improved since the turn of the millenia, they are still treated unequally in many areas of the law. Additionally no laws prohibit discrimination on the grounds of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and girls can be married off at age 15.

Bahrain’s population growth has been driven almost entirely by immigration of low wage workers from South Asia. The country’s overall population level far exceeds the local resources available to sustain it.

(1) (UN Environmental Program, 2020)