Bahrain's average daily water consumption peaked at 167.25 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) in 2021 and stood at 164.325 MIGD in 2025, according to the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). That pause follows 15 years of steady growth: consumption was 100.41 MIGD in 2006, so the 2025 level is still 64% higher.
A population that keeps rising
The pause is not demographic. Bahrain's population reached 1,603,260 in June 2025, more than three times the 503,052 counted in June 1991. Non-Bahraini residents made up about 53.5% of the total, and non-Bahraini men, at 612,656, were the largest single group.
Who pays what
That mix matters for pricing. Bahraini citizens with a single account pay 25 fils per cubic metre for their first 60 m³ and 80 fils up to 100 m³. Non-Bahraini households, citizens with several accounts and businesses have paid a flat 775 fils since January 2026, slightly above EWA's last published unit cost of 750 fils in 2022. Price signals therefore fall mainly on the majority of residents who are not citizens.
Headroom, for now
EWA's six desalination plants have 213 MIGD of installed capacity, against average 2025 production of about 168.3 MIGD. A consultant's model for EWA's 2024–2032 water master plan forecasts 15% demand growth by 2032, which would still sit below today's capacity on an average day. Peak summer demand is not published, and the 2025 adaptation plan expects climate change to add about 10 million m³ a year of demand by 2035.
The full report examines what the published figures cannot yet explain about the levelling, how much water is lost between plant and tap, how the 90 MIGD of new capacity in procurement changes the balance, and who would set tariffs if the draft sector law passes. The full report, Bahrain Water Intelligence Report, is available for USD 999 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/bahrain-water-intelligence-report. For a free overview, see https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/countries/bahrain.