2024 Edition Primary

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 area currently known as the West Bank has been dominated by a succession of different powers. In the early 16th century, it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Transjordan (later renamed Jordan) captured the West Bank and annexed it in 1950; Israel then captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under the Oslo Accords -- a series of agreements that were signed between 1993 and 1999 -- Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for the 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 (Area A), another fully managed by Israel (Area C), and a third with shared control (Area B) 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 to HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in 2007. In 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. 

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

36.7% (male 609,497/female 579,227)

15-64 years

59.5% (male 979,719/female 949,746)

65 years and over

3.9% (2024 est.) (male 59,234/female 65,946)

Birth rate

27.8 births/1,000 population (2024 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

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

62.4% (2023 est.)

note

note: data includes Gaza and the West Bank

Death rate

3.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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

Gross reproduction rate

1.69 (2024 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Infant mortality rate

female

12.6 deaths/1,000 live births

male

17.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total

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

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

78.8 years

male

74.4 years

total population

76.5 years (2024 est.)

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

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

note

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Median age

female

22.1 years

male

21.6 years

total

21.9 years (2024 est.)

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Net migration rate

-3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Physician density

3.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

female

1,594,919 (2024 est.)

male

1,648,450

note

note: approximately 468,300 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2022); approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021)

total

3,243,369

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

2.07% (2024 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

15-64 years

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.9 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

3.49 children born/woman (2024 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)

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

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan; Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem; Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town; Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir

total World Heritage Sites

4 (all cultural)

Agricultural products

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

Budget

expenditures

$5.002 billion (2020 est.)

note

note: includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip

revenues

$3.803 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2020

-$1.903 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

-$1.778 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$2.037 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Exchange rates

Currency

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2018

3.591 (2018 est.)

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.)

Exports

Exports 2020

$2.385 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$3.14 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$3.533 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Exports - commodities

building stone, scrap iron, plastic products, furniture, seats (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Exports - partners

Israel 81%, Jordan 10%, UAE 2%, US 1%, Turkey 1% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

19.6% (2023 est.)

government consumption

20.2% (2023 est.)

household consumption

101.6% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-66.9% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24.8% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

1.5% (2023 est.)

note

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

5.7% (2022 est.)

industry

17.4% (2022 est.)

note

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

services

58.3% (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$17.396 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

33.7 (2016 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.2% (2016 est.)

lowest 10%

2.9% (2016 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Imports

Imports 2020

$8.065 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$10.094 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$12.257 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, electricity, animal food, cars, cement (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Imports - partners

Israel 57%, Turkey 6%, Egypt 6%, Jordan 4%, China 4% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Industrial production growth rate

-8.57% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and 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) 2021

1.24% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

3.74% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.87% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Labor force

1.389 million (2022 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Population below poverty line

29.2% (2016 est.)

note

note: % of population with income below national poverty line; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Public debt

Public debt 2014

24.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$27.878 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$29.016 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$27.418 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Real GDP growth rate 2021

7.01% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

4.08% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

-5.51% (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data in 2021 dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Real GDP per capita 2021

$5,700 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$5,800 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$5,300 (2023 est.)

Remittances

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Remittances 2021

20.77% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

21.13% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

21.84% of GDP (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$872.541 million (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$896.9 million (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$1.323 billion (2023 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

21.47% (of GDP) (2021 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Unemployment rate

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Unemployment rate 2020

25.9% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

26.39% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

24.42% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

56.7% (2022 est.)

male

31.6% (2022 est.)

note

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

total

36% (2022 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

3.942 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

total emissions

3.942 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Coal

exports

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Electricity

consumption

6.746 billion kWh (2022 est.)

imports

6.7 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

352,000 kW (2022 est.)

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

transmission/distribution losses

880.312 million kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

77.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

solar

22.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

15.201 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

Petroleum

note

note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

refined petroleum consumption

29,000 bbl/day (2022 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

80% (2021 est.)

total

3,938,199 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscriptions 78 per 100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2021)

general assessment

most telecommunications companies in the West Bank and Gaza import directly from international vendors; the major challenge they face are Israeli restrictions on telecommunication imports that are listed as “Dual Use” products; during a visit to the West Bank in July 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Israeli and Palestinian teams will work together to roll out an advanced infrastructure for 4G; currently, only 2G service is available in Gaza (2024)

international

country code 970 or 972; 1 international switch in Ramallah

Telephones - fixed lines

note

note: entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

458,000 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

note

note: entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

78 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

4.388 million (2022 est.)

Airports

1 (2024)

Heliports

2 (2024)

Roadways

note

note: includes Gaza Strip

paved

4,686 km (2010)

total

4,686 km (2010)

Military - note

Palestinian Authority security forces maintain security control of 17.5% (called Area A) of the West Bank, as agreed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in the Oslo Accords; Israeli security forces maintain responsibility for the remaining 82.5% of the West Bank, including Area B (22.5%), where the Palestinian Authority has administrative control, and Area C (60%), where Israel maintains administrative control (2023)

Military and security forces

per the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not permitted a conventional military but maintains security and police forces; PA security personnel have operated exclusively in the West Bank since HAMAS seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007; PA forces include the National Security Forces, Presidential Guard, Civil Police, Civil Defense, Preventive Security Organization, the General Intelligence Organization, and the Military Intelligence Organization (2024)

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 internal Palestinian security force; 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 police and security forces have approximately 28,000 active personnel, including about 11,500 National Security Forces (2024)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the security services are lightly equipped with small arms, light weapons, and wheeled vehicles (2024)

Military expenditures

not available

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

12,000 (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) (2022); note - data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank

refugees (country of origin)

901,000 (Palestinian refugees) (2022)

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 the Terrorism reference guide

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

3.23 megatons (2016 est.)

note

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

particulate matter emissions

30.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

840 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

note

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

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

220 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

200 million cubic meters (2020 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.)