Bahrain: Net foreign assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2015, Bahrain's net foreign assets (current LCU) fell 42.7% on 2014 (from 2.33 billion to 1.34 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2014), the average change was +5.3% and a typical year strayed about 21.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 121.5% in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 42.7% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2006 to 2015 the straight-line trend is downward, about 153.2 million a year. A straight line explains 46% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

What this measures

Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 51 values

Net foreign assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 871.66 billion (2020)
• Algeria — 9.11 trillion (2025)
• Djibouti — 281.4 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 1.11 trillion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 2,473.74 trillion (2016)
• Iraq — 167.41 trillion (2024)
• Israel — 883.57 billion (2025)
• Jordan — 15.24 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — 28.58 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — 51.57 trillion (2017)
• Libya

More financial sector data for Bahrain

• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 120.52 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$0.38 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — -0.14% (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$0.38 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 117.2 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 0.23% (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 10.64 billion (2015)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 10.04 billion (2015)
• Broad money to total reserves ratio — 7.53 (2015)
• Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bahrain's net foreign assets (current LCU)?

1.34 billion in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1965?

It is up 7,736% from 17.06 million in 1965 (9.11% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.68 billion in 2007 and the lowest 17.06 million in 1965.

Is the latest change in net foreign assets (current LCU) unusual for Bahrain?

In 2015, Bahrain's net foreign assets (current LCU) fell 42.7% on 2014 (from 2.33 billion to 1.34 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2014), the average change was +5.3% and a typical year strayed about 21.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.NFRG.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.