That dollar amount results from a 72.3% acceleration from 5 years earlier in 2020 when Bahraini exports totaled $11.6 billion.
Year over year, revenue collected for Bahrain’s exports flatlined via a -0.4% slowdown compared to $20 billion during 2023.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, the Bahraini dinar appreciated by 0.1% against the US dollar since 2020 and rose 0.02% from 2023 to 2024. Bahrain’s stronger local currency versus 2020 made its exports paid for in stronger US dollars modestly more expensive for international buyers starting from American currency.
Bahrain’s Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 62.0% of products exported from Bahrain was bought by importers in: Saudi Arabia (19.9% of the Bahraini total), United Arab Emirates (12.1%), United States of America (7.9%), Netherlands (4%), India (3%), Egypt (2.45%), Algeria (2.45%), Qatar (2.35%), Italy (2.32%), Spain (2%), South Korea (1.9%) and Kuwait (1.8%).
From a continental perspective, 60.3% of Bahrain’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 15.9% was sold to importers in Europe. Bahrain shipped another 11.1% worth of goods to buyers in North America.
Smaller percentages went to customers located in Africa (9.8%), Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean (1.9%) then Oceania mostly Australia and New Zealand (1%).
Given Bahrain’s population of 1.62 million people, its total US$19.9 billion in exports for 2024 translates to about $12,300 for every resident in the Middle Eastern country. That dollar metric surpasses the average $7,900 per capita one year earlier for 2023.
Bahrain’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in Bahraini global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Bahrain.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$7.5 billion (37.5% of total exports)
- Aluminum: $4.9 billion (24.6%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $1.8 billion (8.9%)
- Machinery including computers: $793.3 million (4%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: $504.6 million (2.5%)
- Iron, steel: $501.1 million (2.5%)
- Vehicles: $477.8 million (2.4%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $472.9 million (2.4%)
- Gems, precious metals: $378.4 million (1.9%)
- Fertilizers: $268.2 million (1.3%)
Bahrain’s top 10 export product categories generated 88.1% of the overall value of total Bahraini shipments.
Vehicles represent the fastest-growing among the top 10 export categories, up by 20.1% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was machinery including computers, which was up by 6%.
Bahrain’s shipments of aluminum posted the other advance in value, up by 3.1% year over year.
The leading decliner among Bahrain’s top 10 export categories were the metals iron and steel, recording a -22.3% retreat.
At the more detailed 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, Bahrain’s most valuable exports were: processed petroleum oils (37.5% of the Bahraini total), unwrought aluminum (17.1%), iron ores and concentrates (8.9%), aluminum wire (3.4%), turbo-jets (2.4%), aluminum plates, sheets and strips (2.2%), cheese and curd (also 2.2%), miscellaneous iron or steel structures (2%), aluminum stranded wire, cables and plaited bands (1.4%), then nitrogenous fertilizers (1.3%).
Products Generating Bahrain’s Best Trade Surpluses
Bahrain earned an overall US$4.3 billion trade deficit for 2024, slowing by -6.8% from $4.6 billion in black ink one year earlier in 2023.
The following types of Bahraini product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$7.1 billion (Down by -0.3% since 2023)
- Aluminum: $4.7 billion (Up by 3.1%)
- Iron, steel: $293.2 million (Down by -31.5%)
- Fertilizers: $265.7 million (Down by -7.4%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $160.7 million (Down by -29.6%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $133.6 million (Up by 18%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: $116.7 million (Down by -27.7%)
- Copper: $76.9 million (Up by 265.9%)
- Organic chemicals: $52.3 million (Down by -50.1%)
- Glass: $49.1 million (Down by -7.4%)
Bahrain has positive net exports in the international trade of mineral fuels and aluminum-related materials and goods. In turn, these cashflows indicate Bahrain’s strong competitive advantages under the related product categories.
Products Causing Bahrain’s Largest Trade Deficits
Below are exports from Bahrain that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Bahrain’s goods trail Bahraini importer spending on foreign products.
- Inorganic chemicals: -US$1.5 billion (Up by 15.9% since 2023)
- Vehicles: -$951.8 million (Up by 13.7%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$950.5 million (Down by -8.3%)
- Machinery including computers: -$922.6 million (Down by -13.1%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$459 million (Up by 8.2%)
- Meat: -$300.4 million (Up by 17%)
- Gems, precious metals: -$259.6 million (Down by -45.7%)
- Fruits, nuts: -$199.5 million (Up by 6.8%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$191.7 million (Up by 2.5%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$164.8 million (Up by 8.4%)
Bahrain has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the inorganic chemicals product category.
Bahraini Export Companies
Two Bahraini regional banks rank among Forbes Global 2000 corporations, namely Ahli United Bank and Arab Banking.
Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Bahrain. Selected examples are shown below:
- Al Baraka Banking Group (investment banking)
- Aluminium Bahrain (aluminum and related products)
- Bahrain Petroleum Company (oil, gas)
- Banagas (natural gas)
- DHL International Aviation ME (cargo transportation)
- Fakhro Group (industrial conglomerate)
- Nass Corporation B.S.C. (construction materials)
- Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo (travel, shipping, technology conglomerate)
In macroeconomic terms, Bahrain’s total exported goods represent 18.7% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($106.5 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 18.7% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 12.4% for 2023. Those percentages indicate a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Bahrain’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Bahrain’s unemployment rate averaged 5.9% for 2024, down from an average 6.3% in 2023 according to International Monetary Fund metrics.
Bahrain’s capital city is Manama, a name meaning “place of rest” or “place of dreams” in Arabic.
See also Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Exports, Jordan’s Top 10 Exports, UAE’s Top 10 Exports and Top Aluminum Exporters by Country Plus Average Unit Prices
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Middle East: Bahrain. Accessed on January 5, 2026
EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Exchange Rates History: Bahraini Dinar (BHD) To US Dollar (USD). Accessed on January 5, 2026
FlagPictures.org, Flag of Bahrain. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on January 5, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on January 5, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Bahrain. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Bahrain. Accessed on January 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on January 5, 2026