Bahrain: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Bahrain's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 987.02 million on 2019 (from -683.76 million to -1.67 billion).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was −22.3 million and a typical year strayed about 319.71 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 440.92 million in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.06 billion 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 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about 138.29 million a year. A straight line explains 47% 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.

How it compares

In 2020, Bahrain had the 6th highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bahrain in the 2020 ranking

• Marshall Islands — 2nd of 10: 12.17 million
• Palau — 3rd of 10: -24.64 million
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 4th of 10: -53.7 million
• Bhutan — 6th of 10: -4.58 billion
• Cabo Verde — 7th of 10: -16.52 billion
• Honduras — 8th of 10: -26 billion

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. 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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 31 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 4.57 billion (2017)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — -262.17 billion (2015)
• Israel — -164.05 billion (2024)
• Jordan — -1.86 billion (2023)
• Lebanon — 27.56 trillion (2024)
• Malta — -808.4 million (2024)
• Morocco — -63.18 billion (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — -115.63 billion (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 7.87 billion (2024)

More public sector data for Bahrain

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.47 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 552.03 million (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 30 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.11% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 10.8% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 19,000 (2020)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 1.14 billion (2020)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 8.49% (2020)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 235.05 million (2020)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bahrain's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)?

-1.67 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 4,391% from -37.2 million in 1990. The highest value was 530.02 million in 2008 and the lowest -1.67 billion in 2020.

How does Bahrain rank?

6th highest of 10 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) unusual for Bahrain?

In 2020, Bahrain's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 987.02 million on 2019 (from -683.76 million to -1.67 billion). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was −22.3 million and a typical year strayed about 319.71 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NLD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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.

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