2021 Edition

Background

Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the West Bank has been dominated by many different peoples throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), which annexed the West Bank in 1950; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area. Roughly 60% of the West Bank, remains under Israeli civil and military control. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) election. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed, leading to violent clashed between their respective supporters and HAMAS's violent siezure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since 2007, the PA has administered parts of the West Bank under its control, mainly the major Palestinian population centers and areas immediately surrounding them. Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements including the latest agreement signed in October 2017. In December 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In 2019, PA President ABBAS renewed his calls for PLC elections.

Area

land

5,640 sq km

note

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

highest point

Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m

lowest point

Dead Sea -431 m

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Geography - note

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 380 Israeli civilian sites, including about 213 settlements and 132 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2017)

Irrigated land

240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km

total

478 km

Land use

agricultural land

43.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.)

forest

1.5% (2018 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

other

55.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel

Major lakes (area sq km)

Salt water lake(s)

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

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

arable land

Population distribution

Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem

Terrain

mostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east

Age structure

0-14 years

35.31% (male 525,645/female 498,458)

15-24 years

20.75% (male 307,420/female 294,469)

25-54 years

35.19% (male 516,758/female 503,626)

55-64 years

5.12% (male 76,615/female 72,006)

65 years and over

3.62% (male 48,387/female 56,650) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

24.8 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.1% (2019/20)

note

note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Contraceptive prevalence rate

57.3% (2019/20)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Current Health Expenditure

NA

Death rate

3.43 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.5

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

potential support ratio

18.2 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

71.2

youth dependency ratio

65.7

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 97.1% of population

improved: total

total: 96.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: 97.1% of population

note

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

unimproved: rural

rural: 2.9% of population

unimproved: total

total: 3.2% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 2.9% of population

Education expenditures

5.3% of GDP (2018)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab, Jewish, other

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Infant mortality rate

female

13.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

18.14 deaths/1,000 live births

total

15.68 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

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

major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.36 years (2021 est.)

male

74.02 years

total population

76.12 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.2% (2020)

male

98.8%

note

note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank

total population

97.5%

Maternal mortality ratio

27 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Median age

female

22.2 years (2020 est.)

male

21.7 years

total

21.9 years

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Net migration rate

-4.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Physicians density

1.45 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

2,949,246 (July 2021 est.)

note

note: approximately 432,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2019); approximately 227,100 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2019)

Population distribution

Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem

Population growth rate

1.72% (2021 est.)

Religions

Muslim 80-85% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12-14%, Christian 1-2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1% (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 99.3% of population

improved: total

total: 99.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

note

note: note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

unimproved: rural

rural: 0.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2020)

male

12 years

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

total

13 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.85 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.02 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

70% (2020 est.)

male

36.6%

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

total

42.1%

Urbanization

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

rate of urbanization

2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

77% of total population (2021)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

West Bank

etymology

name refers to the location of the region - occupied and administered by Jordan after 1948 - that fell on the far side (west bank) of the Jordan River in relation to Jordan proper; the designation was retained following the 1967 Six-Day War and the subsequent changes in government

Agricultural products

tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, poultry, milk, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, gourds

Budget

expenditures

1.278 billion (2017 est.)

note

note: includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip

revenues

1.314 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

-$1.348 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$1.444 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 March 2015

$1.467 billion (31 March 2015 est.)

Debt - external 31 March 2016

$1.662 billion (31 March 2016 est.)

note

note: data include the Gaza Strip

Economic overview

In 2017, the economic outlook in the West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Territories – remained fragile, as security concerns and political friction slowed economic growth. Unemployment in the West Bank remained high at 19.0% in the third quarter of 2017, only slightly better than 19.6% at the same point the previous year, while the labor force participation rate remained flat, year-on-year.Longstanding Israeli restrictions on imports, exports, and movement of goods and people continue to disrupt labor and trade flows and the territory’s industrial capacity, and constrain private sector development. The PA’s budget benefited from an effort to improve tax collection, coupled with lower spending in 2017, but the PA for the foreseeable future will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs and infrastructure development.

Exchange rates

currency

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

3.5779 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

3.8869 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

3.841 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

3.841 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

3.606 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$2.6 billion note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$2.65 billion note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2019 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Exports - commodities

stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

20% (2017 est.)

government consumption

26.7% (2017 est.)

household consumption

91.3% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-61% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

23% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0% (2017 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.9% (2017 est.)

industry

19.5% (2017 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

services

77.6% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$9.828 billion (2014 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2007

38.7 (2007 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

33.7 (2016 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

28.2% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%

3.2%

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

Imports

Imports 2018

$9.02 billion note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2018 est.)

Imports 2019

$9.15 billion note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2019 est.)

note

note: data include the Gaza Strip

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (2017 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

-0.2% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

0.2% (2017 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Labor force

1.24 million (2017 est.)

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

11.5%

industry

34.4%

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

services

54.1% (2013 est.)

Population below poverty line

18% (2011 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2013

23.8% of GDP (2013 est.)

Public debt 2014

24.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$28.87 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$29.26 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$25.91 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Real GDP growth rate 2012

6% (2012 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2013

1% (2013 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2014

5.3% (2014 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

Real GDP per capita 2018

$6,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$6,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$5,400 note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015

$583 million (31 December 2015 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$0 (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

13.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

note

note: excludes Gaza Strip

Unemployment rate 2016

27% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

27.9% (2017 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

70% (2020 est.)

male

36.6%

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

total

42.1%

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018)

Electricity - consumption

6.489 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

78% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

22% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

5.473 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

170,000 kW (2016 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

Electricity - production

1.093 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

note

note: data for West Bank and Gaza Strip combined

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

24,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

19 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

22,740 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

14 (2017 est.)

total

371,299

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

Internet country code

.psnote - same as Gaza Strip

Internet users

percent of population

57.4% (July 2016 est.)

total

2.673 million (includes Gaza Strip)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; two Palestinian cellular providers, JAWWAL and WATANIYA MOBILE, launched 3G mobile networks in the West Bank in January 2018 after Israel lifted its ban; fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular 76 per 100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2019)

general assessment

continuing political and economic instability has impeded liberalization of the telecommunications industry (2018)

international

country code 970 or 972; 1 international switch in Ramallah

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (includes Gaza Strip) (2016 est.)

total subscriptions

472,293 (includes Gaza Strip) (2017 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

76 (includes Gaza Strip) (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

4,135,363 (includes Gaza Strip) (2017 est.)

Airports

total

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

note: includes Gaza Strip

paved

4,686 km (2010)

total

4,686 km (2010)

Military and security forces

per the Oslo Accords, the PA is not permitted a conventional military but maintains security and police forces; PA security personnel have operated almost exclusively in the West Bank since HAMAS seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007; PA forces include National Security Forces, Presidential Guard, Civil Police, Civil Defense, Preventive Security Organization, the General Intelligence Organization, and the Military Intelligence Organization (2021)

note

note(s) - the National Security Forces conduct gendarmerie-style security operations in circumstances that exceed the capabilities of the civil police; it is the largest branch of the Palestinian Authority security service and acts as the Palestinian army; the Presidential Guard protects facilities and provides dignitary protection; the Preventive Security Organization is responsible for internal intelligence gathering and investigations related to internal security cases, including political dissent

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Palestinian Authority Security Forces have approximately 30,000 active personnel (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the security services are armed mostly with small arms and light weapons, although since 2007, they have received limited amounts of heavier equipment from Jordan (armored personnel carriers) and Russia (armored personnel carriers and transport helicopters) (2021)

Military expenditures

not available

Military service age and obligation

not available

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

131,000 (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 data do not go back beyond 2006) (2020)

note

data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank

refugees (country of origin)

871,537 (Palestinian refugees) (2020)

Terrorist group(s)

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Kahane Chai; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

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 Appendix-T

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

3.23 megatons (2016 est.)

note

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Climate

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

Environment - current issues

adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment

Land use

agricultural land

43.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.)

forest

1.5% (2018 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

other

55.2% (2018 est.)

Major lakes (area sq km)

Salt water lake(s)

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

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

837 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

note

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

162 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

32 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

181.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

note

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Urbanization

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

rate of urbanization

2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

77% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

1.387 million tons (2016 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

6,935 tons (2013 est.)

note

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

0.5% (2013 est.)