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Bahrain: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Bahrain has a population of 1,675,572 (UN estimate, 2026), with Manama as its capital. The 11 largest of its 11 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+150%
since 2000 (669,581)
+28%
projected by 2050 (2,139,465)
2140
people per km²
19501975200020252050 117k 2.1M
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
1950117,263
1975283,243
2000669,581
2005932,604
20101,213,244
20151,369,650
20201,483,077
20251,643,332
20261,675,572
2030 projected1,765,209
2050 projected2,139,465

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Bahrain

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1Al MuharraqMuharraq176,583
2ManamaManama147,074
3Madīnat ḨamadNorthern133,550
4Ar Rifā‘Southern Governorate115,495
5SitrahManama72,601
6Jidd ḨafşManama66,588
7Dār KulaybSouthern Governorate65,466
8Madīnat ‘ĪsáSouthern Governorate38,090
9Al ḨaddMuharraq12,797
10Az ZallāqSouthern Governorate9,095
11SanābisManama6,564

Twenty years earlier: Bahrain in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 707,357.

Common questions

What is the population of Bahrain?
Bahrain has a population of 1,675,572, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 2,139,465 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Bahrain?
Manama. The largest place we record there is Al Muharraq, with 176,583 people.

Go deeper

Al Muharraq
The largest place we record in Bahrain: 176,583 people
Bahrain in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 707,357 then
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