Kingdom of Bahrain

Based solely on the standard of people living under US$ 1 per day, Bahrain does not suffer from extreme poverty. If the daily expenditure increases to US$ 5, 12.2 % of the population falls below that level. Uneven distribution of income however exists with the richest 20% of the population owning 41.6% of the total income earned. The double digit unemployment figures are indicative of a declining standard of living for a small percentage of Bahrainis. Most of the unemployed fall between the 15-24 age group, a fact that has not escaped the authorities. The government responded with the on-going National Employment Project and is concurrently working in close cooperation with UNDP Bahrain on increasing national capacities with regards to handling WTO rounds and FTA agreements which should ultimately spur economic growth and strengthen job creation. Bahrain’s commitment to relieving the burden of poverty was recognized by UNHABITAT, whose Executive Director Anna Tibejjuka awarded Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa a UN award for his efforts in improving the condition of the urban poor.

• 1.1 Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day
• 1.2 Poverty gap ratio
• 1.3 Share of poorest quintile in national consumption

Target 1b: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

• 1.4 Growth rate of GDP per person employed
• 1.5 Employment-to-population ratio
• 1.6 Proportion of employed people living below $1 (PPP) per day
• 1.7 Proportion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment

Target 1c: Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

• 1.8 Prevalence of underweight children under-five years of age
• 1.9 Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption

Projects