Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bahrain
Bahrain: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 2.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Tax revenue in Bahrain, 1990–2020
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue in Bahrain is 2.8%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 150.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Bahrain peaked at 5.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2014.
Bahrain ranks 153rd of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.6% | — |
| 1991 | 4.4% | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 4.5% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 5.0% | +11.1% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | -11.5% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | -15.3% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | -12.8% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | +27.5% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -72.4% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -17.2% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -23.0% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +24.9% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -18.3% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +15.8% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +16.7% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | +163.4% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -1.9% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 2.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 14% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 2.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10.5%, 27% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tax revenue (% of GDP) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +163.4% | 1.1% | 2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.6% | 4.2% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.1% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More public sector data for Bahrain
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 533.78 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.018 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 188.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 848.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 871.15 current USD per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Bahrain?
- Tax revenue in Bahrain was 2.8% in 2020, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 5.0% in 1998.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2014.
- How does Bahrain rank for tax revenue?
- Bahrain ranks 153rd out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 150.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bahrain data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.