Israel

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. 

land

21,497 sq km

total

21,937 sq km

water

440 sq km

slightly larger than New Jersey

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

273 km

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

31 30 N, 34 45 E

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)

2,159 sq km (2020)

border countries

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

total

1,068 km

agricultural land

23.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)

forest

7.1% (2018 est.)

other

69.1% (2018 est.)

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

salt water lake(s)

Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 sq kmnote - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level

Middle East

continental shelf

to depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 nm

sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

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

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

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)

beer

1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

19.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

8.3% of GDP (2020)

51.7% (2023 est.)

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

19.9

potential support ratio

5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

66.9

youth dependency ratio

47

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

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.)

1.42 (2024 est.)

3 beds/1,000 population (2018)

female

2.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)

major-language sample(s)

ספר עובדות העולם, המקור החיוני למידע בסיסי (Hebrew)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

female

85.1 years

male

81.1 years

total population

83.1 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.8% (2011)

male

98.7%

total population

97.8%

4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

30.7 years

male

29.6 years

total

30.1 years (2024 est.)

27.7 years (2019 est.)

adjective

Israeli

noun

Israeli(s)

1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

26.1% (2016)

3.63 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

female

4,671,342 (2024 est.)

male

4,731,275

note

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

total

9,402,617

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

1.58% (2024 est.)

Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 99.3% of population

improved: total

total: 99.9% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

female

17 years (2020)

male

15 years

total

16 years

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

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

13.5% (2020 est.)

male

28.9% (2020 est.)

total

21.2% (2020 est.)

2.92 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

92.9% of total population (2023)

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

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"

geographic coordinates

31 46 N, 35 14 E

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

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

note

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

residency requirement for naturalization

3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization

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)

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)

conventional long form

State of Israel

conventional short form

Israel

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

former

Mandatory Palestine

local long form

Medinat Yisra'el

local short form

Yisra'el

branch office(s)

Tel Aviv

chief of mission

Ambassador Jacob J. LEW (since 5 November 2023)

email address and website

JerusalemACS@state.govhttps://il.usembassy.gov/

embassy

14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9378322

FAX

[972] (2) 630-4070

mailing address

6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC  20521-6350

note

note: on 14 May 2018, the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv; on 4 March 2019, Consulate General Jerusalem merged into US Embassy Jerusalem to form a single diplomatic mission

telephone

[972] (2) 630-4000

chancery

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael HERZOG (since 1 December 2021)

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

email address and website

consular@washington.mfa.gov.ilhttps://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx

FAX

[1] (202) 364-5607

telephone

[1] (202) 364-5500

cabinet

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

chief of state

President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)

election results

2021: Isaac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote in first round - Isaac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 72014: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4  

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

head of government

Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)

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

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

parliamentary democracy

14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

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, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws

description

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

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%

elections

last held on 1 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026)

note

note 1: a 3.25% vote threshold is required to gain representationnote 2: 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

lyrics/music

Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN

name

"Hatikvah" (The Hope)

note

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)

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

total World Heritage Sites

9 (all cultural)

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

Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand); national colors: blue, white

BaladBlue and WhiteHadashJewish Power (Otzma Yehudit)Labor Party or HaAvodaLikudMeretzNational Unity (alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope)New HopeNoamReligious Zionism (election alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit), and Noam)Religious Zionist PartyShasTa'alUnited Arab ListUnited Torah Judaism or UTJ (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)Yesh AtidYisrael Beiteinu

18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections

milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, grapefruits, eggs, tangerines/mandarins, carrots/turnips (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

on alcohol and tobacco

2.8% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on food

16% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

expenditures

$184.823 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$180.935 billion (2022 est.)

Fitch rating

A+ (2016)

Moody's rating

A1 (2008)

note

note: the year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

AA- (2018)

Current account balance 2021

$19.095 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

$20.34 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

$25.089 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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

Currency

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

3.565 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3.442 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

3.23 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

3.36 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

3.667 (2023 est.)

Exports 2021

$143.505 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$166.227 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$156.165 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

diamonds, integrated circuits, refined petroleum, fertilizers, medical instruments (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

US 25%, China 7%, West Bank/Gaza Strip 6%, Ireland 5%, UK 4% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

30.9% (2023 est.)

government consumption

22.4% (2023 est.)

household consumption

48.2% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-27.1% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

1.7% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

1.3% (2021 est.)

industry

17.2% (2021 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

72.4% (2021 est.)

$509.901 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021

37.9 (2021 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

27.1% (2021 est.)

lowest 10%

1.9% (2021 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2021

$125.948 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$150.804 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$137.567 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

diamonds, cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, garments (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 14%, US 11%, Turkey 7%, Germany 6%, India 5% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

6.05% (2021 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

1.51% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

4.39% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

4.23% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

4.554 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

22% (2014 est.)

note

note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day

Public debt 2020

72.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$432.271 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$461.808 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$471.03 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

8.61% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

6.83% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

2% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$46,100 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$48,300 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$48,300 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

0.25% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0.24% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0.19% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$212.934 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$194.231 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$204.661 billion (2023 est.)

25.01% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

4.81% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

3.7% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.39% (2023 est.)

female

5.9% (2023 est.)

male

6.1% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

6% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

14.043 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

21.97 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

28.858 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

64.871 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

6.476 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports

8.9 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

6.561 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

65.442 billion kWh (2022 est.)

exports

6.916 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

22.207 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

3.557 billion kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

90.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

9.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

113.455 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

11.51 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports

9.578 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports

59.369 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

22.886 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

176.018 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

12.73 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

230,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

total petroleum production

15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

30 (2020 est.)

total

2,602,079 (2020 est.)

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

percent of population

90% (2021 est.)

total

8.01 million (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line nearly 39 per 100 and nearly 140 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)

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)

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)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

40 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

3.574 million (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

152 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

13.758 million (2022 est.)

37 (2024)

4X

11 (2024)

by type

container ship 4, general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 32

total

41 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

994.54 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

7,404,373 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

64

number of registered air carriers

6 (2020)

763 km gas, 442 km oil, 261 km refined products (2013)

key ports

Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat, Hadera, Haifa

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

4

small

2

total ports

5 (2024)

very small

2

standard gauge

1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

total

1,497 km (2021) (2019)

paved

20,391 km (2021) (includes 449 km of expressways)

total

20,391 km

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, Hizballah, the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS), and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ); 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, Hizballah, 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; the IDF has conducted numerous operations against HAMAS and PIJ, which operate out of the Gaza Strip and have launched dozens of 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 from Gaza into Israel, supported by rockets and armed drones, killing more than 1,000 Israelis and foreigners living in Israel; the attack resulted in an IDF ground invasion of Gaza where fighting continued into 2024since 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 active-duty military is backed up by a large force of trained reserves--approximately 300-400,000 personnel--that can be mobilized rapidly 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 cooperationthe 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 (2024)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense) (2024)

note

note 1: the national police, including the border police and the immigration police, are under the authority of the Ministry of Public Securitynote 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

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 (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

5.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

4.5% of GDP (2023 est.)

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) (2024)

note

note: the IDF recruits foreign 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

increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center

refugees (country of origin)

12,181 (Eritrea), 5,061 (Ukraine) (2019)

stateless persons

35 (2022)

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

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 the Space Programs reference guide

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Palestinian Islamic Jihad; HAMAS

note

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 the Terrorism reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

65.17 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

13.02 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

19.47 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

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

agricultural land

23.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)

forest

7.1% (2018 est.)

other

69.1% (2018 est.)

salt water lake(s)

Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 sq kmnote - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.78 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

1.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

92.9% of total population (2023)

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.)