Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain
Bahrain: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 91.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain, 1960–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain stood at 91.4%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain peaked at 91.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35.8%, in 1960.
That places Bahrain 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 35.8% | — |
| 1965 | 37.5% | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 39.2% | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 39.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 56.3% | +43.6% |
| 1985 | 53.9% | -4.3% |
| 1990 | 55.7% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 75.2% | +34.9% |
| 2000 | 85.7% | +14.0% |
| 2005 | 90.9% | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 91.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 91.0% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 91.4% | +0.5% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 91.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 3.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 91.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 22.7%, 4.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of urban population who live in the largest city 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +43.6% | 39.2% | 56.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.6% | 35.8% | 37.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 39.2% | 39.2% | 39.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 55.1% | 53.9% | 56.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 65.5% | 55.7% | 75.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.3% | 85.7% | 90.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 91.2% | 91.0% | 91.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 91.4% | 91.4% | 91.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More population data for Bahrain
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.21 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6429 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2037)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6429 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.6% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 176,724 people (2100)
- Population density 3,912 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.7307 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.797 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bahrain was 91.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 91.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.8% in 1960.
- How does Bahrain rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Bahrain ranks 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bahrain data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.