Languages spoken in Bahrain
Asia · Capital: Manama · Population 1.6 million
The official language of Bahrain is Arabic. An estimated 87% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.4 million people. The only other recorded language is Malayalam, at 3.3% of the population. Arabic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. In total, two languages are recorded in Bahrain, and their shares add up to 90.3% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Bahrain?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 87% | Official | 1.4 million |
| MalayalamDravidian | 3.3% | Spoken | 51,707 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Bahrain?
The official language of Bahrain is Arabic. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 87% of the population, or roughly 1.4 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Arabic in Bahrain?
An estimated 87% of Bahrain's 1.6 million people speak Arabic, which works out at roughly 1.4 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Bahrain
- Capital
- Manama
- Population
- 1.6 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 765 km²
- Currency
- BHD
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- BH / BHR / 048
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.