Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bahrain instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 5.9 years longer
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Bahrain, that number is 81 years (81 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 34.8% more spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bahrain spends $2,555 as of 2023.
have 60.7% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Bahrain has 7.4 as of 2020.
be 52.8% more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bahrain, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bahrain, that number is 1.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 52.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bahrain, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bahrain, on the other hand, 7.3 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 79.4% more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bahrain, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bahrain, they kill 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.2 times more electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bahrain uses 23,120 kWh as of 2023.
find 19.8% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bahrain has 17.0 as of 2024.
live with 38.5 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bahrain withdraws 134% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bahrain, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.1% more CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bahrain emits 23.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Bahrain
Bahrain: At a glance
How big is Bahrain compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.