Employment rate in Bahrain

Bahrain: Employment rate was 69.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
69.7%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
71.5%
in 2017
All-time low
64.2%
in 2004
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Employment rate in Bahrain, 1991–2025

0204060801991200820251991: 65.7 %1992: 65.7 %1993: 65.5 %1994: 65 %1995: 64.7 %1996: 64.5 %1997: 64.4 %1998: 64.4 %1999: 64.6 %2000: 64.8 %2001: 64.8 %2002: 64.5 %2003: 64.3 %2004: 64.2 %2005: 65 %2006: 66 %2007: 67.3 %2008: 68.6 %2009: 69.9 %2010: 70.9 %2011: 70.3 %2012: 70.7 %2013: 70.7 %2014: 70.4 %2015: 70.5 %2016: 71.1 %2017: 71.5 %2018: 71.2 %2019: 70.5 %2020: 68 %2021: 67.9 %2022: 69.4 %2023: 70 %2024: 69.8 %2025: 69.7 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Bahrain recorded 69.7% for employment rate in 2025.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment rate in Bahrain peaked at 71.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 64.2%, in 2004.

Bahrain ranks 21st of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 65.0% 64.4% 65.7% 9
2000s 65.9% 64.2% 69.9% 10
2010s 70.8% 70.3% 71.5% 10
2020s 69.1% 67.9% 70.0% 6

Countries ranked near Bahrain

  1. 18 Kuwait 71.8% compare
  2. 19 Vietnam 71.7% compare
  3. 20 Moldova 71.2% compare
  4. 22 Peru 69.1% compare
  5. 23 Central African Republic 68.8% compare
  6. 24 Singapore 67.7% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Bahrain

All data for Bahrain →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment rate in Bahrain?
Employment rate in Bahrain was 69.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest employment rate recorded in Bahrain?
The highest recorded value was 71.5% in 2017.
What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Bahrain?
The lowest recorded value was 64.2% in 2004.
How does Bahrain rank for employment rate?
Bahrain ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is employment rate rising or falling in Bahrain?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bahrain data come from?
The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Employment rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.