Bahraini Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Bahrain is an island kingdom in the Arabian Gulf, once famous for its pearls and now a centre for banking and finance. It was home to the ancient Dilmun civilisation. Bahrainis in Birmingham include students at the city's universities before returning home.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 9,495 people living in the city had been born in Middle Eastern countries other than Iran and Iraq, a group that includes Bahrain; and 19,996 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Arab.

Working for Birmingham

Bahraini students study medicine, engineering, business, finance and law, and many go on to careers in Bahrain's banking, healthcare and public sectors. Bahrain has long-standing ties with Britain, and students who have studied in Birmingham help to keep those links strong.

Much of the work that keeps Birmingham moving happens out of sight: the night shift on a hospital ward, the early start on a building site, the plumber who fixes a boiler on a winter evening, the teaching assistant who helps a child learn to read. People from every community in the city do these jobs, and Bahraini residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Bahrain's National Day in December and Ramadan and Eid are important occasions. Machboos is a favourite dish, and halwa, a sweet made with saffron and rosewater, is a famous Bahraini treat. The country's pearl diving heritage is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

For anyone who wants to learn more, the best introduction is the simplest one: say hello. Birmingham's communities are at their best when they meet, share food and learn from one another, and the Bahraini community is a warm part of that everyday exchange.