Bahrain's National Day: Many Reasons to Celebrate

As Bahrain gets ready to mark its 50th National Day, it is evident that this beautiful island nation has many good reasons to celebrate.

To start with, we have just seen that in this pandemic, Bahrain has been ranked ‘first’, globally, on the ‘Nikkei Covid-19 Recovery Index’ in November 2021.

With a drop in active cases, an increase in vaccination rollout, and a continued adherence to precautionary measures, aimed at mitigating the pandemic, it is no surprise that Bahrain has come on the top.

Citizens and residents alike would vouch for the swift and smooth approach of this country’s leadership, in handling this unprecedented global health crisis.

Several other global indices also show us that Bahrain’s standing is certainly praiseworthy. And these 50 years of sovereignty are worthy of all festivities we can gear up for.

In the World Happiness Report 2021, Bahrain has been ranked third in the Arab world and 35th globally.  Out of over 150 nations surveyed by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Bahrain’s position is no small achievement.

On the Human Development Index, Bahrain has also moved up to rank 42nd globally in 2019, three positions better than its 45th ranking in 2018.

Based on average income, education, and health metrics, this United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) HDI report says that Bahrain has maintained its position in the “very high human development” category of the index.

HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

Measured by life expectancy, by the mean-years of schooling among adult population, and also by the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita expressed in constant 2017 international dollars converted using purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion rates, HDI shows us how Bahrain’s metrics can make us proud, when looked at, in comparison with over 180 countries.

From 1995 to 2020, we can see a smooth and steady growth in Bahrain’s position on the HDI.

On the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom too, Bahrain is ranked 4th among 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, and its overall score is above the regional as well as world averages.

Bahrain is also the 40th freest economy in the 2021 Index, according to the Heritage Foundation. Thanks to the excellent work being done by the EDB (Economic Development Board) and the government legislative structures which are constantly striving to make Bahrain business friendly, we can see economic progress.

Importantly, Bahrain still remains the best place in the GCC for expats to live and work despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the recently published InterNations Expat Insider 2021 survey.

The survey, which samples key indices related to things like quality of life and cost of living, ranks this country ahead of Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Expat Insider Survey 2021 by InterNations - Regional Picture of GCC States

When it comes to customer satisfaction, on Avaya Global Happiness Index, Bahrain topped the index in six of the verticals – banking, telecoms, online retail, in-store retail, utilities and airlines – and came second in the hotels vertical.

In the Global Knowledge Index 2021, Bahrain is now at 55th position. This ranking becomes more significant when we realise that this is a small country among 154 countries surveyed. And also when we realise that for this ranking, GKI includes 155 variables, selected from over 40 sources and international databases including the UNESCO, World Bank, ITU, and International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Interestingly, on the World Giving Index 2021, Bahrain was ranked first among Arab countries and 12th globally, showing that this nation is generous on charitable and humanitarian work.

In conclusion, I must say, this grossly insufficient column space cannot fully list Bahrain’s many reasons to celebrate. But it argues well, I hope, that we must celebrate.