Bahrain real estate transactions jump 16.4% in H1

11/09/2025 03:34 AST

Transaction values increased by 3.9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, amounting to a total of BHD775.2 million ($2056.34 million), said CBRE's Bahrain Real Estate Market Review H1 2025.

Average actual apartment sale rates experienced a decrease of 2% in H1 2025 compared to H2 2024, and villa sales rates also fell by 2.3% following a period of marginal increases. While quoted apartment rents saw a marginal increase of 1.0% for the first time following a period of consistent declines, the trend of marginal yet consistent decline continued for villas with average quoted rated falling by 1.0%.

Average occupancy across CBRE's set of 21 tracked retail centres (Super Regional to Regional Category) decreased by 1.9% from H2 2024 to 66.9% in H1 2025, despite increases or no change at half of the properties, due to added supply. Super Regional malls now account for 29% of the total retail GLA in Bahrain, whilst regional malls account for the largest share at 37%.

Average Grade A & B office rates remain at BD5.1/sqm/month across tracked locations.

CBRE has witnessed a notable shift in interest towards sustainability practices within office properties across the region, as developers and occupiers alike look to catch up with the standards in other parts of the world, the report said.

Total inbound tourism flows continue to increase year-on-year, with a 19.9% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. In terms of hospitality KPIs, Bahrain has seen positive yet marginal increases across the board in H1 2025 as compared to H1 2024, it said.

Bahrain's GDP is forecasted at 2.4% for 2025, according to Oxford Economics, with the non-oil sector likely to account for 86% of the total GDP, bolstered by the ICT and Financial Services industries in particular. Meanwhile, oil GDP is expected to grow by around 4.4%.

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