Demographics of Bahrain#Ethnic groups

{{Historical populations

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|1950|116000 |1960|162000 |1970|212000 |1980|358000 |1990|493000 |2000|638000 |2010|1262000 |2020|1501635

|footnote = Source:{{Cite web |url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unpp/Panel_profiles.htm |title=World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision |access-date=2012-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507035406/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unpp/Panel_profiles.htm |archive-date=2011-05-07 |url-status=dead }}

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Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 17.III.2020):{{Cite web | url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/ | title=UNSD - Demographic and Social Statistics }}

Birth registration of Bahrain is available from 1976, death registration started in 1990. Between 1976 and 2011 the number of baby births roughly doubled but the birth rate of babies decreased from 32 to 13 per 1,000. The death rate of Bahrain (1.9 per 1,000 human beings in 2011) is among the lowest in the world.

Source: UN World Population Prospects{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|access-date=2017-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|archive-date=2016-09-19|url-status=dead}}

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|title=Ethnic groups in Bahrain (2020){{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bahrain/|title= Middle East: Bahrain|date= 23 April 2022|publisher= CIA The World Factbook}}

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{{bar percent|Bahraini citizens|red|47.4}}

{{bar percent|Asian (mostly South Asia) |blue|43.4}}

{{bar percent|other Arabs|yellow|5.8}}

{{bar percent|African|pink|1.4}}

{{bar percent|European|black|0.8}}

{{bar percent|North Americans|orange|1.1}}

{{bar percent|Others|purple|0.1}}

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{{See also|Ethnic, cultural and religious groups of Bahrain}}

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Regarding the ethnicity of Bahrainis, a Financial Times article published on 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot state, both religiously and racially. Discounting temporary immigrants of the past ten years, there are at least eight or nine communities on the island".{{Cite web |title=BAHRAIN |url=https://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/bahrain.htm |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.solarnavigator.net}} Furthermore, sources claim that the government of Bahrain is said to have naturalised Sunnis from different countries to increase the Sunni population in comparison to the Indigenous Shias including people from India, Pakistan, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Egypt.{{Cite web |title=Bahrainis allege a plot to change country's sectarian balance |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/bahrainis-allege-plot-change-countrys-sectarian-balance |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Shias accuse Bahrain of naturalising more Sunnis – GCC |url=https://gcclub.org/0000/00/00/shias-accuse-bahrain-of-naturalising-more-sunnis/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |language=en-GB}} These may be classified as:

Non-nationals make up more than half of the population of Bahrain, with immigrants making up about 52.6% of the overall population.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bahrain/|title=Bahrain|date=September 27, 2021|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov}} Of those, the vast majority come from South and Southeast Asia: according to various media reports and government statistics dated between 2005 and 2012 roughly 350,000 Indians,{{Cite web|title=Information Wing: Indian Community|url=https://eoi.gov.in/bahrain/?2671?000|access-date=2021-10-27|website=eoi.gov.in}} 150,000 Bangladeshis,{{Cite web|title=Relation|url=http://www.bdembassy.org.bh/the-embassy/relation/|access-date=2021-10-27|website=Embassy of Bangladesh in Bahrain|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027113938/http://www.bdembassy.org.bh/the-embassy/relation/|url-status=dead}} 110,000 Pakistanis,{{cite web |url=http://www.mofa.gov.pk/documents/handbook.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.mofa.gov.pk |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401132152/http://www.mofa.gov.pk/documents/handbook.pdf |archive-date=1 April 2019 |url-status=dead}} 40,000 Filipinos,{{cite news|url=http://filamstar.net/index.php?id=4717|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221121119/http://filamstar.net/index.php?id=4717|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 21, 2013|title=Filipinos etching credible mark in Bahrain|last=Hampton|first=Maricar|date=6 July 2012|publisher=FilAm Star|access-date=6 January 2013}} and 8,000 Indonesians.{{citation|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=189859|periodical=Gulf Daily News|date=2007-08-07|access-date=2009-05-12|title=Indonesians encouraged|archive-date=2011-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608140313/http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=189859|url-status=dead}} In 2023, about 4,000 people from the United Kingdom live in Bahrain,[https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bahrain UK Government website, Retrieved 2023-08-01] although some estimates are double this number.[https://britishexpatguide.co.uk/guides/moving-to-bahrain-from-uk/ British Expat Guide website, Retrieved 2023-08-01]

The following is a firm containing estimates from countries' embassies:https://web.archive.org/web/20180207171749/http://www.bq-magazine.com/economy/socioeconomics/2015/08/bahrains-population-by-nationality archived from [http://www.bq-magazine.com/economy/socioeconomics/2015/08/bahrains-population-by-nationality the original]

{{See also|Genetic history of the Middle East|Demographics of Iran#Genetics|Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup}}

A 2024 study sequenced whole genomes from four individuals who lived in Bahrain during the Tylos period (circa 300 BCE to 600 CE). The genetic makeup of these ancient Bahrainis revealed a blend of ancestries, primarily tracing back to ancient populations of the Near East. Analysis indicated that their genetic heritage is best described as a mixture of Ancient Anatolia, Levant, and Iran/Caucasus.{{Cite journal |last=Martiniano |first=Rui |last2=Haber |first2=Marc |last3=Almarri |first3=Mohamed A. |last4=Mattiangeli |first4=Valeria |last5=Kuijpers |first5=Mirte C.M. |last6=Chamel |first6=Berenice |last7=Breslin |first7=Emily M. |last8=Littleton |first8=Judith |last9=Almahari |first9=Salman |last10=Aloraifi |first10=Fatima |last11=Bradley |first11=Daniel G. |last12=Lombard |first12=Pierre |last13=Durbin |first13=Richard |date=March 2024 |title=Ancient genomes illuminate Eastern Arabian population history and adaptation against malaria |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10943591/#:~:text=We%20extracted%20DNA%20from%2025,the%20Tylos%20period%20and%20sequenced |journal=Cell Genomics |language=en |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=100507 |doi=10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100507 |issn=2666-979X |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250202165248/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10943591/ |archive-date=2025-02-02}}

Subtle genetic differences were observed among the four individuals, suggesting a degree of population diversity within Bahrain even before the Islamic era. One individual displayed a stronger affinity to Levantine populations, while others showed closer genetic links to groups from Iran and the Caucasus.

Comparing the ancient Bahraini genomes to those of modern populations revealed notable connections. Genetically, the Tylos-period individuals showed closer affinities to present-day inhabitants of Iraq and the Levant than to modern-day Arabians from the peninsula.

The G6PD Mediterranean mutation, known to provide protection against malaria, was found in three out of the four ancient individuals. Genetic analysis suggests that this mutation began to increase in frequency in Eastern Arabia around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. This timeframe coincides with the emergence of agriculture in the region, which could have inadvertently created environments conducive to malaria-carrying mosquitoes, thus driving natural selection for malaria resistance.

File:Y-DNA hplogroup in the four governorates of Bahrain.png

Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) represents the male lineage. In 2020, a study was made on 562 unrelated Bahraini males.{{Cite journal |last1=Al-Snan |first1=Noora R. |last2=Messaoudi |first2=Safia A. |last3=Khubrani |first3=Yahya M. |last4=Wetton |first4=Jon H. |last5=Jobling |first5=Mark A. |last6=Bakhiet |first6=Moiz |date=2020 |title=Geographical structuring and low diversity of paternal lineages in Bahrain shown by analysis of 27 Y-STRs |journal=Molecular Genetics and Genomics |volume=295 |issue=6 |pages=1315–1324 |doi=10.1007/s00438-020-01696-4 |issn=1617-4615 |pmc=7524810 |pmid=32588126}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}} Paternal population structure within Bahrain was investigated using the 27 Y-STRs (short tandem repeats) in the Yfiler Plus kit to generate haplotypes from 562 unrelated Bahraini males, sub-divided into four geographical regions—Northern, Capital, Southern and Muharraq.

Haplogroup prediction indicated diverse origins of the population with a predominance of haplogroups J2 and J1, but also haplogroups such as B2 and E1b1a likely originating in Africa, and H, L and R2 likely indicative of migration from South Asia. Haplogroup frequencies differed significantly between regions, with J2 significantly more common in the Northern region compared with the Southern, possibly due to differential settlement by Baharna, Ajams and Arabs.

File:J2-Y-DNA-Haplogroup-Map-J2-M172-Map-J2-Haplogrubu-Haritasi-v3.png

Haplogroup prediction suggests that haplogroup J2 is the most common in the Bahraini population (It is thought that J-M172 may have originated in the Caucasus, Anatolia or Western Iran) encompassing 27.6% of the sample, followed by J1 (23.0%), E1b1b (8.9%), E1b1a (8.6%) and R1a (8.4%), with other predicted haplogroups (G, T, L, R1b, Q, R2, B2, E2, H and C) occurring at progressively lower frequencies.

File:HG J1 (ADN-Y).PNG

Haplogroup J1 is most frequent in the Southern Governorate (27%) where the highest proportion of Arabs live, and in the Muharraq Governorate (27%) where many migrant Huwala Arabs resettled, and it declines to its lowest frequency in the Northern and Capital Governorates (21% and 19%).

By contrast, the Northern and Capital Governorates where the Baharna and Ajam are most represented show higher frequencies of haplogroup J2 (34% and 31%) than in Muharraq and the Southern Governorate (both 17%).

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{{main|Religion in Bahrain}}

{{See also|Freedom of religion in Bahrain|Islam in Bahrain}}

Islam is the official religion forming 74% of the population. Current census data does not differentiate between the other religions in Bahrain, but in 2022, the country was approximately 12%[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bahrain US State Dept 2022 report] Christian and had about 40{{cite news|title=Low profile but welcome: a Jewish outpost in the Gulf|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/low-profile-but-welcome-a-jewish-outpost-in-the-gulf-398656.html|newspaper=Independent|date=2 Nov 2007|access-date=16 March 2012|archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224183810/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/low-profile-but-welcome-a-jewish-outpost-in-the-gulf-398656.html|url-status=dead}} Jewish citizens.

According to the website of Ministry of Information Affairs, 74% of the population are Muslim, with Christians being the second largest religious group, forming 10.2% of the population, Jews making up 0.21%. The percentage of local Bahraini Christians, Jews, Hindus and Baha’is is collectively 0.2%.{{Cite web|title=Population and Demographics - Ministry of Information Affairs {{!}} Kingdom of Bahrain|url=https://www.mia.gov.bh/kingdom-of-bahrain/population-and-demographics/?lang=en|access-date=2020-11-06|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110161444/https://www.mia.gov.bh/kingdom-of-bahrain/population-and-demographics/?lang=en|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.data.gov.bh/en/ResourceCenter/DownloadFile?id=3582 |title= Kingdom of Bahrain Open Data Portal: Archived copy |access-date=2021-05-02 |archive-date=2021-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502014151/https://www.data.gov.bh/en/ResourceCenter/DownloadFile?id=3582 |url-status=dead }}

Bahraini citizens of Muslim faith belong to the Shi'a and Sunni branches of Islam. The last official census (1941) to include sectarian identification reported 52% (88,298 citizens) as Shia and 48% as Sunni of the Muslim population.Qubain, Fahim Issa (1955) “Social Classes and Tensions in Bahrain.” The Middle East Journal 9, no. 3: 269–280, p. 270 Unofficial sources, such as the Library of Congress Country Studies,[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+bh0022) Bahrain Country Study] Library of Congress and The New York Times,[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/25/world/1981-plot-in-bahrain-linked-to-iranians.html 1981 Plot in Bahrain linked to Iranians] New York Times, 25 July 1982, retrieved 20 June 2018 estimate sectarian identification to be approximately 45% Sunni and 55% Shia. An official Bahraini document revealed that 51% of the country's citizens are Sunnis, while the Shiite population has declined to 49% of the Muslim population.Al Jazeera: [http://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2011/7/4/%d9%88%d8%ab%d9%8a%d9%82%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a3%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d8%b5%d9%81 وثيقة بحرينية: الشيعة أقل من النصف], 1973, retrieved 14 February 2021

Foreigners, overwhelmingly from South Asia and other Arab countries, constituted 52.6% of the population in 2020. Of these, 50.9% are Muslim and 49.1% are non-Muslim, including Christians (primarily: Catholic, Protestant, Syriac Orthodox, and Mar Thoma from South India), Hindus, Buddhists, Baháʼís, and Sikhs.

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• Bahranis

{{reflist}}

{{CIA World Factbook|year=2006}}

• 2003 U.S. Department of State website

{{Demographics of Bahrain}}

{{Bahrain topics}}

{{Languages of Bahrain}}

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{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}