Bahrain was the first Gulf state to discover crude oil. It is the 10th freest economy in the world based on the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, and the freest economy in the Middle East, ahead of Japan, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Norway.
Bahrain has the fastest growing economy in the Arab world. Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf to enjoy a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, a proof to Bahrain’s high economic standards and stability.






