Education and health care are important policy priorities in Bahrain’s wider drive to develop a knowledge-led economy. As the first country in the GCC region to introduce government-sponsored education, in 1919, Bahrain has a long track record of public instruction and a robust private education ecosystem that has developed in the subsequent years. Fostering the next generation of local talent and innovation is a key government objective that will continue to shape the sector in the coming years, from primary through to the higher and vocational levels. The kingdom is working to build on successive decades of gains in terms of health care outcomes, while at the same time evolving its services in response to the shifting burden of care towards lifestyle-related diseases.