Israel
Some figures reconciled across multiple sources via Civica's methodology (v0.2 BETA). Methodology →
Israel⌘K
Overview
- Background
- Israel has become a regional economic and military powerhouse, leveraging its prosperous high-tech sector, large defense industry, and concerns about Iran to foster partnerships around the world. The State of Israel was established in 1948. The UN General Assembly proposed in 1947 partitioning the British Mandate for Palestine into an Arab and Jewish state. The Jews accepted the proposal, but the local Arabs and the Arab states rejected the UN plan and launched a war. The Arabs were subsequently defeated in the 1947-1949 war that followed the UN proposal and the British withdrawal. Israel joined the UN in 1949 and saw rapid population growth, primarily due to Jewish refugee migration from Europe and the Middle East. Israel and its Arab neighbors fought wars in 1956, 1967, and 1973, and Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Israel took control of the West Bank, the eastern part of Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights in the course of the 1967 war. It ceded the Sinai back to Egypt in the 1979-1982 period but has continued to administer the other territories through military authorities. Israel and Palestinian officials signed interim agreements in the 1990s that created a period of Palestinian self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The most recent formal efforts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to negotiate final status issues occurred in 2013 and 2014, and the US continues its efforts to advance peace. Israel signed the US-brokered normalization agreements (the Abraham Accords) with Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco in 2020 and reached an agreement with Sudan in 2021. Immigration to Israel continues, with more than 44,000 estimated new immigrants, mostly Jewish, in the first 11 months of 2023.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin NETANYAHU returned to office in 2022, continuing his dominance of Israel's political landscape at the head of Israel's most rightwing and religious government. NETANYAHU previously served as premier from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, becoming Israel's longest serving prime minister.
On 7 October 2023, HAMAS militants launched a combined unguided rocket and ground terrorist attack from Gaza into southern Israel. The same day Israel’s Air Force launched air strikes inside Gaza and initiated a sustained air campaign against HAMAS targets across the Gaza Strip. The following day, NETANYAHU formally declared war on HAMAS, and on 28 October, the Israel Defense Forces launched a large-scale ground assault inside Gaza.
The Israeli economy has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 30 years, led by cutting-edge high-tech sectors. Offshore gas discoveries in the Mediterranean place Israel at the center of a potential regional natural gas market. In 2022, a US-brokered agreement between Israel and Lebanon established their maritime boundary, allowing Israel to begin production on additional gas fields in the Mediterranean. However, Israel's economic development has been uneven. Structural issues such as low labor-force participation among religious and minority populations, low workforce productivity, high costs for housing and consumer staples, and high income inequality concern both economists and the general population. The current war with Hamas disrupted Israel’s solid economic fundamentals, but it is not likely to have long-term structural implications for the economy.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 21,497 sq km
- Water
- 440 sq km
- Total
- 21,937 sq km
- Climate
- temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
- Terrain
- Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Land Use
- Other
- 68.5% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 6.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 24.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
- Coastline
- 273 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Dead Sea -431 m
- Highest point
- Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range
- Mean elevation
- 508 m
- Irrigated land
- 1,927 sq km (2022)
- Map references
- Middle East
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 1,068 km
- Border countries
- Egypt 208 km; Gaza Strip 59 km; Jordan 327 km (20 km are within the Dead Sea); Lebanon 81 km; Syria 83 km; West Bank 330 km
Maritime Claims
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Continental shelf
- to depth of exploitation
- Natural hazards
- sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
- Geography note
- note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti)
note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); Mount Sodom is a hill about 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt, with multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock - Natural resources
- timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
- Area comparative
- slightly larger than New Jersey
- Geographic coordinates
- 31 30 N, 34 45 E
- Population distribution
- population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated, with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Major Lakes (Area Sq Km)
- Salt water lake(s)
- Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 sq km
note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level
People & Society
Languages
- Languages
- Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)
- Major language sample(s)
ספר עובדות העולם, המקור החיוני למידע בסיסי (Hebrew)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
- Religions
- Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 18.89 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 29.6 years
- Total
- 30.2 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 30.7 years
Population
- Male
- 4,731,275
- Note
- note: approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021); following the March 2019 US recognition of the Golan Heights as being part of Israel, The World Factbook no longer includes Israeli settler population of the Golan Heights (estimated at 23,400 in 2019) in its overall Israeli settler total
- Total
- 9,402,617 (2024 est.)
- Female
- 4,671,342
Nationality
- Noun
- Israeli(s)
- Adjective
- Israeli
Tobacco Use
- Male
- 24.9% (2025 est.)
- Total
- 18.6% (2025 est.)
- Female
- 12.4% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 92.9% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 27.5% (male 1,320,629/female 1,260,977)
- 15 64 years
- 60.3% (male 2,885,485/female 2,781,777)
- 65 years and over
- 12.3% (2024 est.) (male 525,161/female 628,588)
- Ethnic groups
- Jewish 73.5% (of which Israel-born 79.7%, Europe/America/Oceania-born 14.3%, Africa-born 3.9%, Asia-born 2.1%), Arab 21.1%, other 5.4% (2022 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 65.9 (2024 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 45.6 (2024 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 4.9 (2024 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 20.4 (2024 est.)
- Physician density
- 3.8 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health Expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 7.9% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 13% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Hospital bed density
- 3.1 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 2.89 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education Expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 5.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 16.1% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 1.59% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 1.41 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated, with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 81.1 years
- Female
- 85.1 years
- Total population
- 83.1 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 2 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 99% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 26.1% (2016)
- Mother's mean age at first birth
- 27.7 years (2019 est.)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 50.4% (2021 est.)
School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)
- Male
- 14 years (2022 est.)
- Total
- 15 years (2022 est.)
- Female
- 16 years (2022 est.)
Government
- Flag
- description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David or Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
history: the design resembles a traditional Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), which is white with blue stripes; the hexagram as a Jewish symbol dates back to medieval times
Capital
- Name
- Jerusalem
- Note
- note: the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty
- Etymology
- the meaning of the ancient name is unclear; the city is called Ursalim or Urusalimmi in Egyptian texts from the 14th century B.C., which may come from the Western Semitic verb yaru, meaning "to establish," and the name Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk; another theory says the root letters s-l-m in the name refer to shalom, meaning "peace"
- Time difference
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
- +1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October
- Geographic coordinates
- 31 46 N, 35 14 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections
Citizenship
- Note
- note: Israeli law (Law of Return, 5 July 1950) provides for the granting of citizenship to any Jew - defined as a person being born to a Jewish mother or having converted to Judaism while renouncing any other religion - who immigrates to and expresses a desire to settle in Israel on the basis of the Right of aliyah; the 1970 amendment of this act extended the right to family members including the spouse of a Jew, any child or grandchild, and the spouses of children and grandchildren
- Citizenship BY birth
- no
- Citizenship BY descent only
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel
- Dual citizenship recognized
- yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship
- Residency requirement for naturalization
- 3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization
Constitution
- History
- no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended)
- Amendment process
- proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review
Country Name
- Former
- Mandatory Palestine
- Etymology
- named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel; according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name Israel (meaning "He who struggles with God") after he wrestled with an angel of the Lord
- Local long form
- Medinat Yisra'el
- Local short form
- Yisra'el
- Conventional long form
- State of Israel
- Conventional short form
- Israel
- Independence
- 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)
- Legal system
- mixed system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices; in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices
- Subordinate courts
- district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts
- Judge selection and term of office
- judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association; judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
- Chief of state
- President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
- Election results
2021: Isaac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote in first round - Isaac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 7
2014: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4- Head of government
- Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)
- Most recent election date
- 2 June 2021
- Election/appointment process
- president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government
- Expected date of next election
- June 2028
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 14 May (1948)
- National color(s)
- blue, white
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 9 (all cultural)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Masada; Old City of Acre; White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement; Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba; Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev; Bahá’i Holy Places; Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel; Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin; Necropolis of Bet She’arim
- Political parties
- Balad
Blue and White
Hadash
Labor Party or HaAvoda
Likud
Meretz
National Unity (alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope)
New Hope
Noam
Otzma Yehudit
Religious Zionist Party
Shas
Ta'al
United Arab List
United Torah Judaism or UTJ (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)
Yesh Atid
Yisrael Beiteinu
Legislative Branch
- Note
- note 1: a 3.25% vote threshold is required to gain representation
note 2: following the 1 November 2022 election, the Religious Zionism Alliance split into its three constituent parties in the Knesset: Religious Zionism 7 seats, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) 6, and Noam 1 - Term in office
- 4 years
- Number of seats
- 120 (all directly elected)
- Electoral system
- proportional representation
- Legislature name
- Parliament (Knesset)
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 11/1/2022
- Expected date of next election
- October 2026
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 24.2%
- Parties elected and seats per party
- Likud (32); Yesh Atid (24); Religious Zionism (14); National Unity (12); Shas (11); United Torah Judaism (Yahadut Hatorah) (7); Yisrael Beiteinu (6); Other (14)
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "Hatikvah" (The Hope)
- History
- adopted 2004, unofficial since 1948; used as the anthem of the Zionist movement since 1897; the 1888 arrangement by Samuel COHEN is thought to be based on the Romanian folk song "Carul cu boi" (The Ox-Driven Cart)
- Lyrics/music
- Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
- National symbol(s)
- Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand)
- Administrative divisions
- 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Diplomatic Representation in the US
- Fax
- [1] (202) 364-5607
- Chancery
- 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- Telephone
- [1] (202) 364-5500
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) LEITER (since 4 February 2025)
- Consulate(s) general
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
- Email address and website
consular@washington.mfa.gov.il
https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Fax
- [972] (2) 630-4070
- Note
- note: on 14 May 2018, the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv; on 4 March 2019, Consulate General Jerusalem merged into US Embassy Jerusalem to form a single diplomatic mission
- Embassy
- 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9378322
- Telephone
- [972] (2) 630-4000
- Mailing address
- 6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20521-6350
- Branch office(s)
- Tel Aviv
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Mike HUCKABEE (21 April 2025)
- Email address and website
JerusalemACS@state.gov
https://il.usembassy.gov/
- International organisations
- BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN, CICA, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International law organization participation
- has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002
Economy
Budget
- Note
- note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
- Revenues
- $162.524 billion (2023 est.)
- Expenditures
- $188.905 billion (2023 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $153.7B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2022
- $164.407 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $154.638 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $153.248 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $140.6B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2022
- $153.388 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $140.432 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $140.438 billion (2024 est.)
- Industries
- high-technology products (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, pharmaceuticals, construction, metal products, chemical products, plastics, cut diamonds, textiles, footwear
- Labor force
- 4.71 million (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 83.2%
- Public debt 2019
- 59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2022
- 0.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Remittances 2024
- 0.2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 3.442 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 3.23 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 3.36 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 3.667 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 3.7 (2024 est.)
- Economic overview
- high-income, technology- and industrial-based economy; economic contraction and fiscal deficits resulting from war in Gaza; labor force stabilizing following military reservist mobilization; high-tech industry remains resilient while construction and tourism among hardest-hit sectors
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 3.5%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 3.7% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 3.6% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 3.2% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- USA 29%, China 10%, Ireland 6%, Germany 4%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)
- Imports partners
- China 17%, USA 12%, Germany 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 4% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $57,236
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $48,100 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $47,500 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $47,300 (2024 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 0.9%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 6.3% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 1.8% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 0.9% (2024 est.)
- Agricultural products
- milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, tangerines/mandarins, bananas, eggs, avocados, beef, carrots/turnips (2023)
- Exports commodities
- integrated circuits, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, medical instruments, refined petroleum (2023)
- Imports commodities
- cars, diamonds, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
Current Account Balance
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $15.5B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
- Current account balance 2022
- $17.104 billion (2022 est.)
- Current account balance 2023
- $18.604 billion (2023 est.)
- Current account balance 2024
- $16.713 billion (2024 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues
- 22.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $540.38 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 48% (2023 est.)
- Government consumption
- 22.3% (2023 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 1.7% (2023 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 24.4% (2023 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 30.4% (2023 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -27.6% (2023 est.)
Average Household Expenditures
- On food
- 15.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
- On alcohol and tobacco
- 2.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 3.1%
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 4.4% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 4.2% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 3.1% (2024 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- -4.2% (2024 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $472.177 billion (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $459.698 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $468.095 billion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $472.177 billion (2024 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 6.2% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 6.1% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 6% (2024 est.)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
- Note
- note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
- $194.231 billion (2022 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
- $204.661 billion (2023 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
- $214.544 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 17.3% (2024 est.)
- Services
- 72.5% (2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 1.3% (2024 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 2% (2021 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 26.6% (2021 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2021
- 37.9 (2021 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Exports
- 9 metric tons (2022 est.)
- Imports
- 4.887 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 5.297 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- Total petroleum production
- 15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Crude oil estimated reserves
- 12.73 million barrels (2021 est.)
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 219,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)
Electricity
- Exports
- 6.93 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 63.964 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 22.612 million kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 3.51 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Exports
- 11.505 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 59.369 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Production
- 24.186 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 12.608 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 176.018 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Electricity Access
- Electrification total population
- 100% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 112.437 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Wind
- 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Solar
- 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 89.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Biomass and waste
- 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 87% (2023 est.)
- Broadcast media
- the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) has 3 channels, two in Hebrew and one in Arabic; multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels; IBC broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters, and Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations; about 15 privately owned radio stations (2019)
- Internet country code
- .il
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 2.905 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 31 (2023 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 13.8 million (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 152 (2022 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 2.76 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 30 (2023 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 2
- Medium
- 1
- Key ports
- Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat, Hadera, Haifa
- Very small
- 2
- Total ports
- 5 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 4
- Airports
- 40 (2025)
Railways
- Total
- 1,497 km (2021) (2019)
- Standard gauge
- 1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge
- Heliports
- 13 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 41 (2023)
- BY type
- container ship 4, general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 32
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- 4X
Environment
- Climate
- temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Land Use
- Other
- 68.5% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 6.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 24.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 92.9% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane Emissions
- Other
- 0.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Waste
- 272.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Energy
- 29.2 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 40.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 5.4 million tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 30.4% (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- limited arable land and restricted natural freshwater resources; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Industrial
- 104.834 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Agricultural
- 1.215 billion cubic meters (2022)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 64.401 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 24.066 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From coal and metallurgical coke
- 11.542 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 28.793 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 20.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 1.78 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental Agreements
- Party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
- Signed, but not ratified
- Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation
Military & Security
- Military note
- the IDF is responsible for external defense but also has some domestic security responsibilities; its primary operational focuses include the threat posed by Iran, instability in Syria, and terrorist organizations, including HAMAS, Hizballah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad; since its creation from armed Jewish militias during the First Arab-Israeli War in 1948-49, the IDF, particularly the Ground Force, has been guided by a requirement to rapidly mobilize and defend the country’s territory from numerically superior neighboring countries; the active-duty military is backed up by a large force of trained reserves--approximately 300-400,000 personnel--that can be mobilized rapidly
Israel’s primary security partner is the US; consistent with a 10-year (2019-2028) Memorandum of Understanding, the US annually provides over $3 billion in military financing and cooperative military programs, such as missile defense; the US also provides Israel access to US-produced military weapons systems including advanced fighter aircraft; Israel has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation
the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; UNDOF consists of about 1,300 total personnel (2025)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 8.8%
- Military expenditures 2020
- 5% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military expenditures 2021
- 5% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Military expenditures 2022
- 4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Military expenditures 2023
- 5% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Military expenditures 2024
- 8% of GDP (2024 est.)
- Military and security forces
- Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense)
Ministry of National Security: Israeli Police (2025) - Military service age and obligation
- 18-28 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 months service for men, 12 months for women; 18-21 years of age for compulsory military service for men and women; Jews and Druze can be conscripted; Christians, Circassians, and Muslims may volunteer; conscript service obligation is up to 36 months for enlisted personnel (depending on sex, marital status, and military occupation); officers serve 48 months; Air Force pilots commit to 9 years of service (2024)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the majority of the IDF's inventory is comprised of weapons that are domestically produced or imported from Europe and the US; the US has been the leading supplier of arms in recent years; Israel's defense industry can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armored vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defense, and guided missiles (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- approximately 170,000 active-duty Defense Forces (130,000 Ground Forces; 10,000 Naval; 30,000 Air Force); more than 400,000 reserves (2025)
Terrorism
- Terrorist group(s)
- Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ); HAMAS
Space
- Space launch site(s)
- Palmachim Airbase (Central district) (2025)
- Space agency/agencies
- Israel Space Agency (ISA; established 1983 under the Ministry of Science and Technology; origins go back to the creation of a National Committee for Space Research, established 1960); Ministry of Defense Space Department (2025)
- Space program overview
- has an ambitious space program that is one of the most advanced in the region; designs, builds, operates, and launches communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; designs, builds, and operates orbital satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs); researches and develops a range of other space-related capabilities, with a focus on lightweight and miniaturized technologies; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Canada, the ESA, individual ESA member states (such as France, Germany, and Italy), India, Japan, Mexico, and the US; has a substantial commercial space sector, as well as state-owned enterprises (2025)
- Key space program milestones
- 1961 - first sounding rocket launched
1988 - first operational launch of small-lift satellite launch vehicle (SLV) (Shavit) placed first domestically produced technology-demonstrator satellite (Ofeq-1) in orbit
1995 - launched first fully operational remote sensing satellite (Ofeq-3) on Shavit SLV
2007 - unveiled Shavit-2 small-lift 3-stage SLV
2014 - joined ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) project; domestically built lunar probe (Beresheet) launched by US (crashed on Moon’s surface)
2022 - joined US Artemis Moon exploration project
Transnational Issues
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Idps
- 68,000 (2024 est.)
- Refugees
- 27,413 (2024 est.)
- Stateless persons
- 35 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Pulse−4.3as of 2026-05-06—2026-05-06
Press Freedom (RSF)Partly free (60/100)as of 2024—2024
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Israel — vintage 2026-Q1: Israel factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/israel
Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), OECD.Stat, UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata