2014 Edition

Background

From the early 16th century through 1917, the area now known as the West Bank fell under Ottoman rule. Following World War I, the Allied powers (France, UK, Russia) allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. After World War II, the UN passed a resolution to establish two states within the Mandate, and designated a territory including what is now known as the West Bank as part of the proposed Arab state. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the area was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan). Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950. In June 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. With the exception of East Jerusalem and the former Israeli-Jordanian border zone, the West Bank has remained under Israeli military control. Under a series of agreements signed between 1994 and 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled after the outbreak of an intifada in mid- 2000. In early 2003, the "Quartet" of the US, EU, UN, and Russia, presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005, calling for two states - Israel and a democratic Palestine. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political party) as the PLO Executive Committee Chairman and PA president, Israel and the PA agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and redeployed its military from several West Bank settlements but continues to control maritime, airspace, and other access. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won the Palestinian Legislative Council election and took control of the PA government. Attempts to form a unity government failed, and violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters ensued, culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. Fatah and HAMAS in early 2011 agreed to reunify the Gaza Strip and West Bank, but the factions have struggled to implement details on governance and security. The status quo remains with HAMAS in control of the Gaza Strip and the PA governing the West Bank. In late 2010, direct peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians collapsed. In November 2012, the UN General Assembly upgraded the Palestinian status at the UN to that of an observer "state." The Israeli government and ABBAS returned to formal peace negotiations in July 2013.

Area

5,860 sq km 5,640 sq km 220 sq km includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

total

5,860 sq km

water

220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Delaware

Climate

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

Dead Sea -408 m Tall Asur 1,022 m

highest point

Tall Asur 1,022 m

lowest point

Dead Sea -408 m

Environment - current issues

adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Geography - note

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 355 Israeli civilian sites including about 145 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 32 sites in East Jerusalem (2010 est.)

Irrigated land

240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)

Land boundaries

404 km Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

border countries

Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

total

404 km

Land use

7.39% 10.96% 81.64% (2011)

arable land

7.39%

other

81.64% (2011)

permanent crops

10.96%

Location

Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

arable land

Terrain

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east

Age structure

33.7% (male 472,480/female 448,078) 21.7% (male 303,578/female 289,119) 36.4% (male 511,443/female 483,276) 4.4% (male 59,762/female 59,372) 3.8% (male 43,629/female 60,315) (2014 est.)

0-14 years

33.7% (male 472,480/female 448,078)

15-24 years

21.7% (male 303,578/female 289,119)

25-54 years

36.4% (male 511,443/female 483,276)

55-64 years

4.4% (male 59,762/female 59,372)

65 years and over

3.8% (male 43,629/female 60,315) (2014 est.)

Birth rate

23.41 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.2% (2007)

Death rate

3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios

74.1 % 68.8 % 5.3 % data represents the Palestinian Territories (2014 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

5.3 %

potential support ratio

19

total dependency ratio

74.1 %

youth dependency ratio

68.8 %

Drinking water source

urban: 81.6% of population rural: 82.3% of population total: 81.8% of population urban: 18.4% of population rural: 17.7% of population total: 18.2% of population includes Gaza and the West Bank (2012 est.)

rural

17.7% of population

total

18.2% of population

urban

18.4% of population

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

13.49 deaths/1,000 live births 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births 11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

female

11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

total

13.49 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Life expectancy at birth

75.69 years 73.58 years 77.92 years (2014 est.)

female

77.92 years (2014 est.)

total population

75.69 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write 95.3% 97.9% 92.6% estimates are for the Palestinian Territories (2011 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

92.6%

male

97.9%

total population

95.3%

Maternal mortality rate

64 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

Median age

22.4 years 22.2 years 22.5 years (2014 est.)

female

22.5 years (2014 est.)

male

22.2 years

total

22.4 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2004 est.)

Nationality

NA NA

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Population

2,731,052 approximately 341,400 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2012); approximately 196,400 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2011) (July 2014 est.)

Population growth rate

1.99% (2014 est.)

Religions

Muslim 80.0 - 85.0% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12.0 - 14.0%, Christian 1.0 - 2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified the proportion of Christians continues to fall mainly as a result of the growth of the Muslim population but also because of the migration and a declining birth rate of the Christian population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 94.8% of population rural: 92.8% of population total: 94.3% of population urban: 5.2% of population rural: 7.2% of population total: 5.7% of population includes Gaza and the West Bank (2012 est.)

rural

7.2% of population

total

5.7% of population

urban

5.2% of population

Sex ratio

1.06 male(s)/female 1.05 male(s)/female 1.05 male(s)/female 1.06 male(s)/female 1.04 male(s)/female 0.71 male(s)/female 1.04 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.06 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.71 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.83 children born/woman (2014 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

38.8% 34.5% 62.2% includes Gaza (2012)

female

62.2%

total

38.8%

Urbanization

74.3% of total population (2011) 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

rate of urbanization

3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

74.3% of total population (2011)

Country name

none West Bank

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

West Bank

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Budget

$2.1 billion $3.2 billion includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip (2011 est.)

expenditures

$3.2 billion

revenues

$2.1 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-16.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

6.8% (31 December 2013 est.) 6.97% (31 December 2012 est.)

Current account balance

-$2.1 billion (2011 est.) -$690.7 million (2010 est.)

Debt - external

$NA (2010 est.) $1.3 billion (2007 est.) data include the Gaza Strip

Economy - overview

The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories - has sustained a moderate rate of economic growth since 2008. Inflows of donor aid and government spending have driven most of the gains, however. Private sector development has been weak. After a multiyear downturn following the start of the second intifada in 2000, overall standard-of-living measures have recovered and now exceed levels seen in the late 1990s. Despite the Palestinian Authority's (PA) successful implementation of economic and security reforms and the easing of some movement and access restrictions by the Israeli Government, Israeli closure policies continue to disrupt labor and trade flows, industrial capacity, and basic commerce, eroding the productive capacity of the West Bank economy. The biggest impediments to economic improvements in the West Bank remain Palestinians' inability to access land and resources in Israeli-controlled areas, import and export restrictions, and a high-cost capital structure. The PA for the foreseeable future will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs, and West Bank economic activity will depend largely on the PA's ability to attract such aid.

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.621 (2013 est.) 3.856 (2012 est.) 3.73 (2010) 3.932 (2009) 3.588 (2008)

Exports

$666.1 million (2010 est.) $846.1 million (2011 est.) includes Gaza Strip

Exports - commodities

stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

99.5% 29.5% 18% 0% 14.9% -62% (2013 est.)

exports of goods and services

14.9%

government consumption

29.5%

household consumption

99.5%

imports of goods and services

-62%

investment in fixed capital

18%

investment in inventories

0%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

4.2% 17.9% 77.9% includes Gaza Strip (2012 est.)

agriculture

4.2%

industry

17.9%

services

77.9%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,900 (2008 est.) includes Gaza Strip

GDP - real growth rate

5.7% (2011 est.) 6.8% (2010 est.) 7% (2009 est.) includes Gaza Strip

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.641 billion includes Gaza Strip (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$8.022 billion (2011 est.) $7.589 billion (2010 est.) $7.106 billion (2009 est.) data are in 2011 US dollars; includes Gaza Strip

Household income or consumption by percentage share

3.2% 28.2% (2009 est.)

highest 10%

28.2% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%

3.2%

Imports

$5.474 billion (2011 est.) $4.319 billion (2010 est.) data include the Gaza Strip

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate

3% (2013 est.)

Industries

small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.7% (2013 est.) 2.8% (2012 est.) includes Gaza Strip

Labor force

1.025 million (2013 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

16.1% 28.4% 55.5% includes Gaza Strip (2010 est.)

agriculture

16.1%

industry

28.4%

services

55.5%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$2.634 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $2.532 billion (31 December 2011) $2.45 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

18.3% (2010 est.)

Stock of broad money

$9.301 billion (31 December 2013 est.) $8.143 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.248 billion (31 December 2013 est.) $1.042 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$232.2 million (31 December 2013 est.) $180.2 million (31 December 2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

31.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

22.5% (2013 est.) 23% (2012 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

2.502 million Mt (2011 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

Electricity - consumption

4.573 billion kWh (2010 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2012)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

Electricity - imports

550 million kWh (2011 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

140,000 kW includes Gaza Strip (2010 est.)

Electricity - production

445 million kWh (2010 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2010 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2011 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2011 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2011 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

29,310 bbl/day (2011 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

515 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

16,330 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Broadcast media

the Palestinian Authority operates 1 TV and 1 radio station; about 30 independent TV and 25 radio stations; both Jordanian TV and satellite TV are accessible (2008)

Internet country code

.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip

Internet users

1.379 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2009)

Telephone system

continuing political and economic instability has impeded significant liberalization of the telecommunications industry Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; PALTEL plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Jordan to route domestic mobile calls; the Palestinian JAWWAL company and WATANIYA PALESTINE provide cellular services country code - 970; 1 international switch in Ramallah (2009)

domestic

Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; PALTEL plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Jordan to route domestic mobile calls; the Palestinian JAWWAL company and WATANIYA PALESTINE provide cellular services

general assessment

continuing political and economic instability has impeded significant liberalization of the telecommunications industry

international

country code - 970; 1 international switch in Ramallah (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

406,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2012)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3.041 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2012)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

total

2

under 914 m

1 (2013)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Roadways

4,686 km 4,686 km includes Gaza Strip (2010)

total

4,686 km

Manpower fit for military service

579,248 547,782 (2010 est.)

females age 16-49

547,782 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

579,248

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

30,925 29,440 (2010 est.)

female

29,440 (2010 est.)

male

30,925

Disputes - international

the current status of the West Bank is subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Refugees and internally displaced persons

754,411 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)) (2014) at least 146,000 (persons displaced within both the Gaza strip and the West Bank, some fled as long ago as 1967 but confirmed cumulative figures do not go back beyond 2006) (2013)

IDPs

at least 146,000 (persons displaced within both the Gaza strip and the West Bank, some fled as long ago as 1967 but confirmed cumulative figures do not go back beyond 2006) (2013)

refugees (country of origin)

754,411 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)) (2014)