Cultural Demography
Bahrain's two principal cities, Manama and al-Muharraq, host the majority of the country's approximately 800,000 inhabitants. About 38 percent of the country's population are foreign workers. The indigenous population-the Bahraini people-make up about 63 percent and are of Arab and Persian ancestry. Other Arabs, Asian, Persians and Europeans make up the other ethnic groups that inhabit Bahrain. Arabic, English, Farsi and Urdu are the major languages spoken in Bahrain.
Islam is the dominant religion with up to 70 percent of the Islamic population being Shi'a Muslims and the remaining 30 percent being Sunni Muslims. Though Shiite Muslims make up more than two-thirds of the population, Sunni Islam is the prevailing belief held by the Khalifa family and those in the government, military and corporate sectors. As such, Sunni Muslims tend to be wealthier and live in the urban centers, while Shiite Muslims inhabit the poorer, rural areas. Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as a tiny indigenous Jewish community, also exist in Bahrain.
Human Development
Bahrain's economy and society is heavily influenced by the country's dependence on oil, due to its position as a significant oil-refiner. With a well-developed oil economy, Bahrain has experienced a sizable influx of foreign workers. In addition, the economy has contributed to Westernization and a high degree of social and cultural development. For example, the people of Bahrain enjoy the benefits of sophisticated social programs, including a free health care system. As such, the infant mortality rate is relatively low at 13.68 deaths per 1,000 live births. Likewise, life expectancy at birth for the total population is 70.84 years of age (68.5 years for males and 73.3 years for females), according to recent estimates.
Bahrain has traditionally boasted an advanced educational system. Schooling and related costs are entirely paid for by the government, and primary and secondary attendance rates are high. Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrainis returning from abroad with advanced degrees. As well, Bahrain University has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences - operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health - trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists and paramedics. The national literacy rate for the total population is 86.5 percent with the rate of functional literacy for males at 88.6 percent and 83.6 percent for females.
About 4.5 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures; about 2.9 percent of GDP in this country is spent on education. Access to water and sanitation in this country is regarded to be good.
A notable measure of human development is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is formulated by the United Nations Development Program. The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 169 countries, the HDI placed Bahrain in the high human development category, at 39th place. Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.