Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain
Bahrain: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 0.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bahrain recorded 0.7% for share of workers in vulnerable employment in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain peaked at 3.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2025.
Bahrain ranks 185th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.4% | — |
| 1992 | 3.3% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | -8.8% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | -7.6% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | -8.2% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -8.0% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -16.5% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +39.0% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -45.8% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +45.3% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -14.6% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -9.2% |
| 2025 | 0.7% | -12.6% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 0.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 8% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 0.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 19.4%, 4% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of workers in vulnerable employment 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +45.3% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| 2002 | +39.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| 2010 | -45.8% | 2.0% | 1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
- 182 Kuwait 2.4% compare
- 183 Saudi Arabia 1.7% compare
- 184 United Arab Emirates 1.5% compare
- 186 Qatar 0.5% compare
More work & labour data for Bahrain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.6429 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5388 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.7788 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5428 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 2,169 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 158.19 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,342 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,748 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,090 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Bahrain was 0.7% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2025.
- How does Bahrain rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Bahrain ranks 185th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bahrain data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).