Ripe with opportunity
With our strategic location, a highly connected young population, and educated & bilingual workforce, Bahrain has a unique advantage to tap into the MENA region’s fast growing digital media market.
The region is also witnessing gaming interest in virtual reality technologies. Bahrain offers a full operations & fulfillment solution to e-commerce companies looking to expand either into or within the region.
With revenue set to top US$ 3.9 billion by 2023, MENA has the world’s highest gaming and e-sports growth rate. Bahrain is fast emerging as the gateway to this still largely untapped market and proving itself as an ideal test bed for developers creating Arabic-first content and other digital entertainment.
46%
Digital revenue is expected to grow steadily to reach 46% of revenues by 2024. (PWC)
>60%
Of MENA consumers are willing to pay to consume digital content.
(Forbes)
16.3%
The e-commerce industry in the GCC region was expected to have a penetration rate of 12.2 percent of the offline retail in 2025 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The forecasted penetration rate grew to about 16.3 percent after the pandemic. (Statista)
Connected population
-
1st Globally
in Network Infrastructure & Internet Users (% of households with internet) based on The Inclusive Internet Index 2021 issued by Facebook & The Economist.
-
~103
Mobile cell subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2020.
(World Bank)
-
30%
Of the GCC population are gamers.
(NewZoo Global Market Report)
-
1st Globally
in Digital Literacy education based on The Inclusive Internet Index 2021 issued by Facebook & The Economist.
Digital community
The region is witnessing an explosion in gaming and virtual reality technologies and the creative talent behind it. A strong gaming community allows Bahrain to host a year-long calendar of events and activities where international companies showcase their games for thousands of attendees. In recent years, Bahrain has been proud to host:
IGN convention
Bahrain gaming Experience
Animania Bahrain
Blast Pro Series Final
Human capital
With a dialect easily understood across the region and a young & bilingual ICT workforce, Bahrain provides companies with the tools to tap into the localized gaming market, reaching 400mn+ Arabic speakers in the MENA region.
Bahrain offers a creative environment for companies within the digital content field with a newly launched Arts Incubator to further foster this sector. (World Bank)
E-commerce market
The e-retail industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region was expected to have a penetration rate of 12.2 percent of the offline retail in 2025 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The forecasted penetration rate grew to about 16.3 percent after the pandemic. (Statista)
Based on the 2020 UNCTAD B2C E-Commerce Index, Bahrain is within the top 10 countries globally Enabling B2C e-commerce in West Asia. 83% of population own financial accounts or mobile money service providers, and 27% of Internet users are online shoppers.
With unrivalled connectivity and logistics access to key regional e-commerce markets including Saudi and Kuwait, Bahrain is at the epicentre of the regional e-commerce business opportunity.
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