The Middle East

Although major health indicators have improved in recent decades, a growing and ageing population, an elevated incidence of non-communicable diseases and rising care costs have weighed on Bahrain’s health sector in recent years. The government is currently making major strides in addressing these challenges, however, most notably through the planned rollout of a national health insurance system,...

Bahrain’s education sector benefits from regionally strong and improving student outcomes, rising K-12 and private school enrolment, and an expansive, ongoing reform agenda aimed at improving the quality of teaching and infrastructure across all levels. Investment in the sector is set to soar over the medium term, bolstered by the high-potential pre-school and kindergarten segments, as well as...

Benefitting from a diverse portfolio of tourist draws including UNESCO World Heritage sites, the popular Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix event and a variety of high-end retail developments and hotels, Bahrain’s tourism sector has been an economic success story in recent years. Visitor numbers, revenues and investments have been on an upwards trajectory since 2016, and authorities have...

Bahrain is one of the most diversified economies in the GCC region, due in large part to a well-established manufacturing industry. The kingdom’s biggest industrial segment by far is aluminium production, and its importance is set to grow further with the launch in 2019 of a new pot line at national aluminium producer Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which will increase the firm’s capacity by nearly...

A major contributor to employment and GDP, the Bahraini construction sector has continued to expand in recent years, despite slower regional growth. This performance continued into the first half of 2018 with an uptick in activity, supported by a series of major infrastructure projects, in part financed by neighbouring GCC states. Furthermore, with demand for transportation and industrial...

By utilising technology to maximise value from existing reserves and investing in exploration, Bahrain’s energy sector is working to maintain and even increase levels of oil and gas production. Efforts in this direction have been helped significantly by the recent discovery of a large-scale, unconventional oil and gas reserve, which could substantially boost output over the coming decade....