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Middle East
Page last updated: June 18, 2024
Israel has become a regional economic and military powerhouse, leveraging its prosperous high-tech sector, large defense industry, and concerns about Iran to foster partnerships around the world. The State of Israel was established in 1948. The UN General Assembly proposed in 1947 partitioning the British Mandate for Palestine into an Arab and Jewish state. The Jews accepted the proposal, but the local Arabs and the Arab states rejected the UN plan and launched a war. The Arabs were subsequently defeated in the 1947-1949 war that followed the UN proposal and the British withdrawal. Israel joined the UN in 1949 and saw rapid population growth, primarily due to Jewish refugee migration from Europe and the Middle East. Israel and its Arab neighbors fought wars in 1956, 1967, and 1973, and Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Israel took control of the West Bank, the eastern part of Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights in the course of the 1967 war. It ceded the Sinai back to Egypt in the 1979-1982 period but has continued to administer the other territories through military authorities. Israel and Palestinian officials signed interim agreements in the 1990s that created a period of Palestinian self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The most recent formal efforts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to negotiate final status issues occurred in 2013 and 2014, and the US continues its efforts to advance peace. Israel signed the US-brokered normalization agreements (the Abraham Accords) with Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco in 2020 and reached an agreement with Sudan in 2021. Immigration to Israel continues, with more than 44,000 estimated new immigrants, mostly Jewish, in the first 11 months of 2023.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin NETANYAHU returned to office in 2022, continuing his dominance of Israel's political landscape at the head of Israel's most rightwing and religious government. NETANYAHU previously served as premier from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, becoming Israel's longest serving prime minister.
On 7 October 2023, HAMAS militants launched a combined unguided rocket and ground terrorist attack from Gaza into southern Israel. The same day Israel’s Air Force launched air strikes inside Gaza and initiated a sustained air campaign against HAMAS targets across the Gaza Strip. The following day, NETANYAHU formally declared war on HAMAS, and on 28 October, the Israel Defense Forces launched a large-scale ground assault inside Gaza.
The Israeli economy has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 30 years, led by cutting-edge high-tech sectors. Offshore gas discoveries in the Mediterranean place Israel at the center of a potential regional natural gas market. In 2022, a US-brokered agreement between Israel and Lebanon established their maritime boundary, allowing Israel to begin production on additional gas fields in the Mediterranean. However, Israel's economic development has been uneven. Structural issues such as low labor-force participation among religious and minority populations, low workforce productivity, high costs for housing and consumer staples, and high income inequality concern both economists and the general population. The current war with Hamas disrupted Israel’s solid economic fundamentals, but it is not likely to have long-term structural implications for the economy.
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
31°30' N, 34°45' E
Middle East
Total: 21,937 km²
Land: 21,497 km²
Water: 440 km²
Slightly larger than New Jersey
Area comparison map:
Total: 1,068 km
Border countries (6): Egypt 208 km; Gaza Strip 59 km; Jordan 327 km (20 km are within the Dead Sea); Lebanon 81 km; Syria 83 km; West Bank 330 km
273 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Highest point: Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range
Lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
Mean elevation: 508 m
Timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 7.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 69.1% (2018 est.)
2,159 km² (2020)
Salt water lake(s): Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 km²
Note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level
Population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti)
Note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); its survey is not complete and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock)
Note 3: in March 2019, there were 380 Israeli settlements,to include 213 settlements and 132 outposts in the West Bank, and 35 settlements in East Jerusalem; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, as all were evacuated in 2005 (2019)
Total: 9,402,617
Male: 4,731,275
Female: 4,671,342 (2024 est.)
Note: approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021); following the March 2019 US recognition of the Golan Heights as being part of Israel, The World Factbook no longer includes Israeli settler population of the Golan Heights (estimated at 23,400 in 2019) in its overall Israeli settler total
Comparison rankings: female 97; male 96; total 98
Noun: Israeli(s)
Adjective: Israeli
Jewish 73.5% (of which Israel-born 79.7%, Europe/America/Oceania-born 14.3%, Africa-born 3.9%, Asia-born 2.1%), Arab 21.1%, other 5.4% (2022 est.)
Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)
Major-language sample(s):
ספר עובדות העולם, המקור ×”×—×™×•× ×™ למידע בסיסי (Hebrew)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Hebrew audio file:
Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)
MENA religious affiliation
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 1,320,629/female 1,260,977)
15-64 years: 60.3% (male 2,885,485/female 2,781,777)
65 years and over: 12.3% (2024 est.) (male 525,161/female 628,588)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 66.9
Youth dependency ratio: 47
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.9
Potential support ratio: 5 (2021 est.)
Total: 30.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 29.6 years
Female: 30.7 years
1.58% (2024 est.)
19.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
27.7 years (2019 est.)
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 83.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 81.1 years
Female: 85.1 years
2.92 children born/woman (2024 est.)
1.42 (2024 est.)
NA
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 100% of population
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
8.3% of GDP (2020)
3.63 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
3 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 99.3% of population
Total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0.7% of population
Total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; Israel is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
26.1% (2016)
Total: 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 21.2% (2020 est.)
Male: 28.9% (2020 est.)
Female: 13.5% (2020 est.)
NA
51.7% (2023 est.)
7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.8%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 96.8% (2011)
Total: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 17 years (2020)
Limited arable land and restricted natural freshwater resources; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation
Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 7.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 69.1% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 19.47 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 65.17 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 13.02 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 5.4 million tons (2015 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1.35 million tons (2017 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 25% (2017 est.)
Salt water lake(s): Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 km²
Note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level
Municipal: 1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
1.78 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: State of Israel
Conventional short form: Israel
Local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
Local short form: Yisra'el
Former: Mandatory Palestine
Etymology: named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel; according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name "Israel" ("He who struggles with God") after he wrestled an entire night with an angel of the Lord; Jacob's 12 sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who formed the Kingdom of Israel
Parliamentary democracy
Name: Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty
Geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October
Etymology: Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; uru-shalim likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic yry, "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace"
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
History: no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended)
Amendments: proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review; 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2020 (Basic Law: the Knesset)
Mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel
Dual citizenship recognized: yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization
Note: Israeli law (Law of Return, 5 July 1950) provides for the granting of citizenship to any Jew - defined as a person being born to a Jewish mother or having converted to Judaism while renouncing any other religion - who immigrates to and expresses a desire to settle in Israel on the basis of the Right of aliyah; the 1970 amendment of this act extended the right to family members including the spouse of a Jew, any child or grandchild, and the spouses of children and grandchildren
18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections
Chief of state: President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
Head of government: Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; election last held on 2 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2028); following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government
Election results:
2021: Isaac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote in first round - Isaac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 7
2014: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4
Description: unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote, with a 3.25% vote threshold to gain representation; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 1 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026)
Election results: percent by party - Likud 23.4%, Yesh Atid 17.8%, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 10.8%, National Unity 9.1%, Shas 8.2%, UTJ 5.9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 4.5%, United Arab List 4.1%, Hadash-Ta'al 3.8%, Labor 3.7%, Meretz 3.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 32, Yesh Atid 24, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 14, National Unity 12, Shas 11, UTJ 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 6, Hadash-Ta'al 5, United Arab List 5, Labor 4; composition - men 90, women 30, percentage women 25%; note - following the 1 November 2022 election, the Religious Zionism Alliance split into its three constituent parties in the Knesset: Religious Zionism 7 seats, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) 6, and Noam 1
Highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices; in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices
Judge selection and term of office: judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association; judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts
Balad [Sami Abu SHEHADEH]
Blue and White [Benny GANTZ]
Hadash [Ayman ODEH]
Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) [Itamar Ben GVIR]
Labor Party or HaAvoda [Merav MICHAELI]
Likud [Binyamin NETANYAHU]
Meretz [vacant]
National Unity [alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope]
New Hope [Gideon SA'AR]
Noam [Avi MAOZ]
Religious Zionism [Bezalel SMOTRICH] (election alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit), and Noam)
Religious Zionist Party [Bezalel SMOTRICH]
Shas [Aryeh DERI]
Ta'al [Ahmad TIBI]
United Arab List [Mansour ABBAS]
United Torah Judaism or UTJ [Moshe GAFNI] (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)
Yesh Atid [Yair LAPID]
Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN, CICA, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
White with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David or Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag; the basic design resembles a traditional Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), which is white with blue stripes; the hexagram as a Jewish symbol dates back to medieval times
Note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary from a light to a dark blue
Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand); national colors: blue, white
Name: "Hatikvah" (The Hope)
Lyrics/music: Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
Note: adopted 2004, unofficial since 1948; used as the anthem of the Zionist movement since 1897; the 1888 arrangement by Samuel COHEN is thought to be based on the Romanian folk song "Carul cu boi" (The Ox Driven Cart)
Total World Heritage Sites: 9 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Masada; Old City of Acre; White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement; Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba; Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev; Bahá’i Holy Places; Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel; Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin; Necropolis of Bet She’arim
High-income, technology- and industrial-based economy; economic contraction and fiscal deficits resulting from war in Gaza; labor force stabilizing following military reservist mobilization; high-tech industry remains resilient while construction and tourism among hardest-hit sectors
$424.289 billion (2022 est.)
$397.152 billion (2021 est.)
$365.661 billion (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
6.83% (2022 est.)
8.61% (2021 est.)
-1.86% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$44,400 (2022 est.)
$42,400 (2021 est.)
$39,700 (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
$525.002 billion (2022 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
4.39% (2022 est.)
1.51% (2021 est.)
-0.61% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Fitch rating: A+ (2016)
Moody's rating: A1 (2008)
Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2018)
Note: the year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 2.4% (2017 est.)
Industry: 26.5% (2017 est.)
Services: 69.5% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 73; industry 102; agriculture 163
Household consumption: 55.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 22.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27.5% (2017 est.)
Milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, grapefruits, eggs, tangerines/mandarins, carrots/turnips (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
High-technology products (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, pharmaceuticals, construction, metal products, chemical products, plastics, cut diamonds, textiles, footwear
6.05% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
4.451 million (2022 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
3.7% (2022 est.)
4.81% (2021 est.)
4.17% (2020 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 8.8% (2021 est.)
Male: 8.4%
Female: 9.2%
22% (2014 est.)
Note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day
38.6 (2018 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
On food: 16% of household expenditures (2021 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 2.8% of household expenditures (2021 est.)
Lowest 10%: 1.9%
Highest 10%: 27.6% (2018 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
0.24% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.25% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.28% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $139.374 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $154.927 billion (2019 est.)
-2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
72.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)
60.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
24.62% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
$20.34 billion (2022 est.)
$19.095 billion (2021 est.)
$19.806 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$166.227 billion (2022 est.)
$143.505 billion (2021 est.)
$113.687 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
US 25%, China 7%, West Bank/Gaza Strip 6%, Ireland 5%, UK 4% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Diamonds, integrated circuits, refined petroleum, fertilizers, medical instruments (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$150.804 billion (2022 est.)
$125.948 billion (2021 est.)
$96.886 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
China 14%, US 11%, Turkey 7%, Germany 6%, India 5% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Diamonds, cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, garments (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$194.231 billion (2022 est.)
$212.934 billion (2021 est.)
$173.292 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$132.5 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$99.886 billion (2019 est.)
$94.247 billion (2018 est.)
New Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
3.36 (2022 est.)
3.23 (2021 est.)
3.442 (2020 est.)
3.565 (2019 est.)
3.591 (2018 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 18.993 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 59,192,500,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 6.243 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.642 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Comparison rankings: imports 175; exports 30; installed generating capacity 50; transmission/distribution losses 141; consumption 46
Fossil fuels: 93.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Solar: 5.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Wind: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 5.089 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 5.565 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 232,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 232,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 12.7 million barrels (2021 est.)
294,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)
111,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
98,860 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Production: 10.474 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 9.442 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 820.508 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 176.017 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
61.092 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 13.653 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 29.416 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 18.023 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
113.273 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Total subscriptions: 3.574 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40 (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 13.758 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 152 (2022 est.)
General assessment: Israel’s developed economy largely revolves around high technology products and services, primarily used in the medical, biotechnology, agricultural, materials, and military industries; the country also attracts investment in its cyber-security industry, and has established itself as a hub for thousands of start-up companies; to underpin these developments, Israel has developed a robust telecoms sector; household broadband subscriptions is high, with a focus on fiber-network deployment; LTE services are almost universally available, while the August 2020 multi-frequency bands also enabled the MNOs to provide services based on 5G; 5G will be supported by moves to close down GSM and 3G networks in stages through to the end of 2025, with the physical assets and frequencies to be repurposed for LTE and 5G use (2023)
Domestic: fixed-line nearly 39 per 100 and nearly 140 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)
International: country code - 972; landing points for the MedNautilus Submarine System, Tameres North, Jonah and Lev Submarine System, submarine cables that provide links to Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2019)
The Israel Broadcasting Corporation (est 2015) broadcasts on 3 channels, two in Hebrew and the other in Arabic; multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels; the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters and Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations; about 15 privately owned radio stations; overall more than 100 stations and repeater stations (2019)
.il
Total: 8.01 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)
Total: 2,602,079 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 64
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,404,373 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 994.54 million (2018) mt-km
4X
37 (2024)
11 (2024)
763 km gas, 442 km oil, 261 km refined products (2013)
Total: 1,497 km (2021) (2019)
Standard gauge: 1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge
Total: 20,391 km
Paved: 20,391 km (2021) (includes 449 km of expressways)
Total: 41 (2023)
By type: container ship 4, general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 32
Total ports: 5 (2024)
Large: 0
Medium: 1
Small: 2
Very small: 2
Ports with oil terminals: 4
Key ports: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat, Hadera, Haifa
Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense) (2023)
Note 1: the national police, including the border police and the immigration police, are under the authority of the Ministry of Public Security
Note 2: the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) is charged with combating terrorism and espionage in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip; it is under the authority of the Prime Minister; ISA forces operating in the West Bank fall under the IDF for operations and operational debriefing
4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
5% of GDP (2021 est.)
5% of GDP (2020 est.)
5.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
5.3% of GDP (2018 est.)
Approximately 170,000 active-duty personnel (130,000 Ground Forces; 10,000 Naval; 30,000 Air Force) (2023)
The majority of the IDF's inventory is comprised of weapons that are domestically produced or imported from Europe and the US; the US has been the leading supplier of arms in recent years; Israel has a broad defense industrial base that can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armored vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defense, and guided missiles (2023)
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; Jews and Druze can be conscripted; Christians, Circassians, and Muslims may volunteer; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation is 32 months for enlisted men and about 24 months for enlisted women (varies based on military occupation); officers serve 48 months; Air Force pilots commit to 9 years of service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), age 24 (women) (2023)
Note 1: women have served in the Israeli military since its establishment in 1948; as of 2021, women made up about 35% of IDF personnel; more than 90% of military specialties, including combat specialties, were open to women and more than 3,000 women were serving in combat units; the IDF's first mixed-gender infantry unit, the Caracal Battalion, was established in 2004
Note 2: conscripts comprise about 70% of the IDF active-duty ground forces
Note 3: the IDF recruits non-Israeli Jews and non-Jews with a minimum of one Jewish grandparent, as well as converts to Judaism; each year the IDF brings in about 800-1,000 foreign recruits from around the world
The IDF is responsible for external defense but also has some domestic security responsibilities; its primary operational focuses include the threat posed by Iran, instability in Syria, and terrorist organizations, including HAMAS and Hizballah, both of which are backed by Iran, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham; it has considerable experience in conventional and unconventional warfare; since the country’s founding in 1948, the IDF has been in conflicts against one or more of its Arab neighbors in 1948-49, 1956, 1967, 1967-70 (“War of Attrition”), 1973, 1982, and 2006; it bombed nuclear sites in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, and since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, has conducted numerous air strikes in Syria against Iranian, Iranian-backed militia, and Hizballah forces, and Syrian Government targets; over the same period, the IDF has carried out strikes against Hizballah in Lebanon in response to attacks on Israeli territory; these strikes followed an Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006, also to suppress Hizballah attacks; the IDF has conducted operations against HAMAS and PIJ, which operate out of the Gaza Strip and have launched numerous rocket attacks against Israel; HAMAS and Israel fought an 11-day conflict in 2021, which ended in an informal truce, although sporadic clashes continued; in October 2023, HAMAS conducted a surprise ground assault into Israel, supported by rockets and armed drones, killing more than 1,000 Israelis and foreigners living in Israel; the attack sparked another war with Israel, including an IDF ground invasion of Gaza; the IDF also has conducted security operations against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank
Since its creation from armed Jewish militias during the First Arab-Israeli War in 1948-49, the IDF, particularly the Ground Force, has been guided by a requirement to rapidly mobilize and defend the country’s territory from numerically superior neighboring countries; the Ground Force has a relatively small active combat force of approximately 10 armored, mechanized infantry, paratrooper, and commandos/special forces brigades, plus an artillery corps, that is backed up by a large force of trained reserves—approximately 300-400,000 personnel—that can be mobilized rapidly into dozens of combat brigades; the Ground Force also controls Israel’s ballistic missile force; the Air Force has approximately 250 modern US-made combat aircraft, as well as one of the world’s most advanced theater missile defense systems; the Navy is largely a coastal defense force with a small but growing and largely modern inventory; its primary surface warships are seven German- and US-built corvettes, supplemented by a small flotilla of missile attack vessels and six German-made attack submarines
Israel’s primary security partner is the US; consistent with a 10-year (2019-2028) Memorandum of Understanding, the US annually provides over $3 billion in military financing and cooperative military programs, such as missile defense; the US also provides Israel access to US-produced military weapons systems including advanced fighter aircraft; Israel has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; UNDOF consists of about 1,000 military personnel (2023)
Israel Space Agency (ISA; established 1983 under the Ministry of Science and Technology; origins go back to the creation of a National Committee for Space Research, established 1960); Ministry of Defense Space Department (2024)
Palmachim Airbase (Central district) (2024)
Has an ambitious space program and one of the most advanced in the region; designs, builds, and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; designs, builds, and operates sounding (research) rockets and orbital satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs); launches satellites on domestic and foreign rockets; researches and develops a range of other space-related capabilities with a focus on lightweight and miniaturized technologies, including small satellites with high resolution RS imaging and communications capabilities; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and space industries, including those of Canada, the European Space Agency (and individual member states, such as France, Germany, and Italy), India, Japan, Mexico, and the US; has a substantial commercial space sector, including state-owned enterprises, in areas such as launchers, propulsion, satellite manufacturing, particularly micro- and nano-satellites, payloads and applications, RS, communications, and ground stations (2024)
Note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S
Terrorist group(s): Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Palestinian Islamic Jihad; HAMAS
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
Refugees (country of origin): 12,181 (Eritrea), 5,061 (Ukraine) (2019)
Stateless persons: 35 (2022)
Increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center