Bahrain–Egypt trade hits $467m in 2024, Metals lead exports

Bahrain’s trade with Egypt reached $467m in 2024, driven by metal exports from Manama and a steady flow of Egyptian consumer goods, figures from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry show. The balance puts Egypt among Bahrain’s largest overseas markets and sits within a much wider $25.2bn trade relationship between Cairo and the Gulf recorded the year before.

Iron ore
Iron ore led Bahrain’s shipments to Egypt with a value of $164.4m. It was followed by unalloyed aluminium wire at $75.8m and unwrought aluminium alloys worth $34.5m. Semi-finished rolled products added $24.3m, with semi-manufactured iron and steel contributing $10m. Copper pipes brought in $5.9m, while exports of double-cab pickup trucks stood at $5.8m. Other items included polyethylene terephthalate sheets worth $5.1m, aluminium electrical cables with a steel core at $4.2m, and alloyed aluminium wire at $3.9m.

Imports
Imports ran to $112m, with fruit and consumer goods taking the lead. Fresh or dried oranges topped the list at $6.2m, trailed by television receivers at $5.9m and pipe tobacco at $5.3m. Smart televisions and women’s sanitary pads were each worth $4.5m. Toothpaste accounted for $3.1m, while chocolate bars and blocks stood at $3m. Potatoes, both fresh and chilled, reached $2.7m, with mangoes at the same figure, and frozen potatoes slightly less at $2.6m.

Trade between the GCC and Egypt as a whole hit $25.2bn in 2023, according to the GCC Statistical Centre. Exports from Gulf states to Egypt stood at $16.6bn, while imports were $8.6bn, leaving a surplus of $8bn. Oil and petroleum products led with $8.2bn, almost half the total. Plastics and related goods followed at $1.8bn, then electrical machinery and kit at 6 per cent.

On the import side, oil and petroleum products again featured at $2.8bn, with gold and precious stones at 11.6 per cent and electrical equipment at 8.1 per cent. Fruit, copper goods, and other items made up the rest, together worth $4.1bn.