2022 Edition

Background

The landlocked West Bank - the larger of the two Palestinian territories - is home to some three million Palestinians. 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 addition to establishing the PA as an interim government, the Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three areas with one fully managed by the PA, another fully administered by Israel, and a third with shared control until a permanent agreement could be reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began across the Palestinian territories, and in 2001 negotiations for a permanent agreement between the PLO and Israel on final status issues stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area. The PA last held national elections in 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS’s violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In December 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In recent years, Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements. Since 1994, the PA has administered parts of the West Bank under its control, mainly the major Palestinian population centers and areas immediately surrounding them. Roughly 60% of the West Bank remains under full Israeli civil and military control, impeding movement of people and goods through the territory.  

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

(2013) 151 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip

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

the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--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% (2022 est.) (male 48,387/female 56,650) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

24.42 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Child marriage

note

note: includes both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

women married by age 15

0.7%

women married by age 18

13.4% (2020 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

3.4 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

6.1

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

potential support ratio

16.5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

74.3

youth dependency ratio

68.2

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 99% of population

improved: total

total: 98.9% of population

improved: urban

urban: 98.9% of population

note

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

unimproved: rural

rural: 1% of population

unimproved: total

total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.1% of population

Education expenditures

5.3% of GDP (2018 est.)

note

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab, Jewish, other

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Infant mortality rate

female

12.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

male

17.68 deaths/1,000 live births

total

15.29 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

78.6 years (2022 est.)

male

74.29 years

total population

76.38 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%

Major infectious diseases

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the West Bank is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

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

-4.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Physicians density

3.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

3,000,021 (2022 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

the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem

Population growth rate

1.69% (2022 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: 98.6% of population

improved: total

total: 99.6% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.9% of population

note

note: note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

unimproved: rural

rural: 1.4% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.1% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2021)

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

0.68 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.96 children born/woman (2022 est.)

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

77.6% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

64.5% (2021 est.)

male

37.3%

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

total

41.7%

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

West Bank

etymology

name refers to the location of the region of the British Mandate of Palestine that was occupied and administered by Jordan in 1948, as it is located 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 administration

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

Exports 2019

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

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

Imports 2019

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

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)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$28.87 billion (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$29.26 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$25.91 billion (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: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip

Real GDP per capita 2018

$6,300 (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$6,200 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$5,400 (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.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

64.5% (2021 est.)

male

37.3%

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

total

41.7%

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

from consumed natural gas

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

from petroleum and other liquids

3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

total emissions

3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Electricity

consumption

5,702,816,000 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

exports

0 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

imports

5.9 billion kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

installed generating capacity

215,000 kW (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

transmission/distribution losses

847 million kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

note

note: data for West Bank and Gaza Strip combined

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

hydroelectricity

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

solar

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

13.604 million Btu/person (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Natural gas

consumption

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

refined petroleum consumption

24,600 bbl/day (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

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 the Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

7 (2020 est.)

total

373,050 (2020 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

Internet country code

.ps; note - IANA has designated .ps for the West Bank, same as Gaza Strip

Internet users

note

note: includes the Gaza Strip

percent of population

75% (2020 est.)

total

3,602,452 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

Israeli has companies that are responsible for fixed-line services; two Palestinian cellular providers launched 3G mobile networks in the West Bank in January 2018 after Israel lifted its ban; fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscriptions 84 per 100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2020)

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 a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Telephones - fixed lines

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

466,283 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

84 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

4,274,119 (2020 est.)

Airports

total

2 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

total

2

under 914 m

1 (2021)

Heliports

1 (2021)

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 (2022)

note

note: 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 PA security services 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 PA Security Forces have approximately 30,000 active personnel (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the security services are armed mostly with small arms and light weapons, although since 2010, they have received small amounts of heavier equipment from Jordan (armored personnel carriers) and Russia (armored personnel carriers and transport helicopters) (2022)

Military expenditures

not available

Military service age and obligation

not available

Disputes - international

West Bank-Israel: West Bank is Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; in 2002, Israel began construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; as of mid-2020, plans were to continue barrier construction

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; 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 infectious diseases

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the West Bank is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

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

77.6% of total population (2023)

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.)