2015 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 remained under Israeli military control until Israel transferred security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under a series of agreements signed between 1994 and 1999. 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 faction) as PA president, Israel and the Palestinians 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 have made several attempts at reconciliation, most recently signing an agreement in April 2014 following the collapse of US-brokered peace talks with Israel. The factions, however, have been unable to implement details on governance and security, and the status quo remains with HAMAS in de facto control of the Gaza Strip and the PA governing the West Bank.

Area

land

5,640 sq km

note

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

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 381 Israeli civilian sites, including about 212 settlements and 134 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2014 est.)

Irrigated land

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

Land boundaries

border countries (2)

Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km

total

478 km

Land use

arable land 7.4%; permanent crops 11%; permanent pasture 24.9%

agricultural land

43.3%

forest

1.5%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2011 est.)

other

55.2%

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 in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River valley to the east

Age structure

0-14 years

33.09% (male 473,108/female 448,612)

15-24 years

21.52% (male 307,020/female 292,465)

25-54 years

36.96% (male 529,094/female 500,375)

55-64 years

4.57% (male 64,093/female 63,289)

65 years and over

3.85% (male 45,303/female 62,007) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

22.99 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

52.5% (includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank) (2010)

Death rate

3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.2%

note

data represents the Gaza and the West Bank (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

19.2%

total dependency ratio

76%

youth dependency ratio

70.8%

Drinking water source

urban: 50.7% of population

rural: 81.5% of population

total: 58.4% of population

urban: 49.3% of population

rural: 18.5% of population

total: 41.6% of population

note

includes Gaza and the West Bank (2015 est.)

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

Hospital bed density

1.2 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

female

11.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

14.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

13.08 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.17 years (2015 est.)

male

73.79 years

total population

75.91 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

94.5%

male

98.4%

notes

estimates are for the Palestinian Territories (2015 est.)

total population

96.5%

Median age

female

22.9 years (2015 est.)

male

22.6 years

total

22.7 years

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Physicians density

1.3 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

Population

2,785,366 (represents Palestinian population only) (July 2014 est.)

note

approximately 356,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank; approximately 200,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2013) (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

1.95% (2015 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

note

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 the declining birth rate of the Christian population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 93% of population

rural: 90.2% of population

total: 92.3% of population

urban: 7% of population

rural: 9.8% of population

total: 7.7% of population

note

includes Gaza and the West Bank (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years

male

12 years

note

data represents Gaza and West Bank (2013)

total

13 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.06 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.73 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.76 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

62.2%

male

34.5%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2012 est.)

total

38.8%

Urbanization

note

data represents Gaza Strip and West Bank

rate of urbanization

2.81% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

75.3% of total population (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

West Bank

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Budget

expenditures

$4.279 billion

note

includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip (2014 est.)

revenues

$2.742 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-23.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

7.5% (31 December 2014 est.)

7.5% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$2.894 billion (2014 est.)

-$2.034 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$1.04 billion (2010 est.)

$1.3 billion (2007 est.)

note

data include the Gaza Strip

Distribution of family income - Gini index

34.5 (2009 est.)

note

includes Gaza Strip

Economy - overview

Economic growth in the West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories - has slowed since 2013, in part because of a decline in donor aid and government spending. Private sector development has been weak. 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, constraining 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 economic activity.

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -

3.908 (2013 est.)

3.611 (2013 est.)

3.86 (2012 est.)

3.5781 (2011 est.)

3.739 (2010 est.)

Exports

$2.107 billion (2014 est.)

$2.102 billion (2013 est.)

note

includes Gaza Strip

Exports - commodities

stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

20.4%

government consumption

26.6%

household consumption

86.6%

imports of goods and services

-60.7%

investment in fixed capital

25.3%

investment in inventories

1.8%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.9%

industry

23.6%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2014 est.)

services

73.5%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$4,900 (2012 est.)

$4,400 (2011 est.)

$4,100 (2010 est.)

note

includes Gaza Strip

GDP - real growth rate

0.5% (2014 est.)

0.5% (2013 est.)

6.1% (2012 est.)

note

includes Gaza Strip

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.641 billion

note

includes Gaza Strip (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$20.12 billion (2014 est.)

$20.02 billion (2013 est.)

$19.92 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2011 US dollars; includes Gaza Strip

Gross national saving

-12.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

-5.6% of GDP (2013 est.)

-15.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

28.2%

lowest 10%

3.2%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2009 est.)

Imports

$7.674 billion (2014 est.)

$6.645 billion (2013 est.)

note

data include the Gaza Strip

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate

1.5% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.7% (2014 est.)

1.7% (2013 est.)

note

includes Gaza Strip

Labor force

1.066 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

11.5%

industry

34.4%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2013 est.)

services

54.1%

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% (2011 est.)

Public debt

41% of GDP (2013 est.)

39% of GDP (2012 est.)

Stock of broad money

$2.399 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.16 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.341 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.168 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$269.2 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$220.5 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

41.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

16% (2014 est.)

18.6% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

3.008 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

Electricity - consumption

5.12 billion kWh (2011 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - imports

4.909 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

140,000 kW

note

includes Gaza Strip (2011 est.)

Electricity - production

535 million kWh (2011 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

23,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

514.8 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 20 private TV and 40 radio stations; both Jordanian TV and satellite TV are accessible (2013)

Internet country code

.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip

Internet users

percent of population

34.4% (2009)

total

1.4 million (includes Gaza Strip)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 27, shortwave 0 (2010)

Telephone system

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 - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

15 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

400,000 (includes Gaza Strip)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

117 (includes Gaza Strip) (2014 est.)

total

3.2 million (includes Gaza Strip)

Television broadcast stations

31 (2010)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

total

2

under 914 m

1 (2013)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Roadways

note

includes Gaza Strip (2010)

paved

4,686 km

total

4,686 km

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

547,782 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

579,248

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

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

IDPs

at least 263,500 (includes persons displaced within the Gaza strip due to the intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since June 2014 and other Palestinian IDPs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who fled as long ago as 1967, although confirmed cumulative figures do not go back beyond 2006) (2015)

refugees (country of origin)

762,288 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)) (2014)