Bahrain: Taxes on international trade (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Bahrain's taxes on international trade (current LCU) fell 6.7% on 2019 (from 91.19 million to 85.11 million).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +4.2% and a typical year strayed about 14.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 28.7% in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 23% in 2014. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 16% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 8th highest value of the 11 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

• Honduras — 4th of 11: 3.44 billion
• Bhutan — 5th of 11: 1.58 billion
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 6th of 11: 91.6 million
• Palau — 8th of 11: 15.77 million
• Marshall Islands — 9th of 11: 9.27 million
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 10th of 11: 6.2 million

What this measures

Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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

Taxes on international trade (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 45.92 billion (2017)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 21.87 billion (2015)
• Israel — 1.75 billion (2024)
• Jordan — 240.1 million (2023)
• Lebanon — 28.92 trillion (2024)
• Morocco — 16.08 billion (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 24.5 billion (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 10.26 million (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 taxes on international trade (current LCU)?

85.11 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 133.81% from 36.4 million in 1990 (2.87% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 126.28 million in 2017 and the lowest 36.4 million in 1990.

How does Bahrain rank?

8th highest of 11 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (current LCU) unusual for Bahrain?

In 2020, Bahrain's taxes on international trade (current LCU) fell 6.7% on 2019 (from 91.19 million to 85.11 million). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +4.2% and a typical year strayed about 14.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.INTT.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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