Statistical information West Bank 1998

West Bank in the World
top of pageBackground: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May 1996, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement and the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations.
top of pageLocation: Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map reference:
Middle EastAreaTotal: 5,860 km²
Land: 5,640 km²
Water: 220 km²
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
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundariesTotal: 404 km
Border countries: (2) Israel 307 km;
, Jordan 97 kmCoastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
Extremes highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land useArable land: 27%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 32%
Forests and woodland: 1%
Other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
top of pagePopulation: 1,556,919 (July 1998 est.)
Note: in addition, there are 155,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 164,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 3.71% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: NA
Adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 45% (male 359,848; female 342,173)
15-64 years: 52% (male 405,929; female 396,928)
65 years and over: 3% (male 21,853; female 30,188) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 3.71% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 36.65 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 4.35 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.82 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
International agreements party to: none of the selected agreements
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 26.35 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 72.47 years
Male: 70.7 years
Female: 74.33 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.92 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: West Bank
Government typeCapitalAdministrative divisionsDependent areasIndependenceNational holidayConstitutionLegal systemInternational law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrageExecutive branchLegislative branchJudicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participationDiplomatic representationFlag description
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and Israeli policies that block the movement of goods and people. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not productive assets that would enable local Palestinian firms to compete with Israeli industry. GDP has been substantially supplemented by workers who commute to jobs in Israel. Worker remittances from the Persian Gulf states dropped after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. An estimated 147,000 people were in refugee camps in 1996.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -6.9% (1996 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,600 (1996 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 33%
Industry: 25%
Services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)
Agriculture products: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 13%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation commerce restaurants and hotels: 12%
By occupation construction: 8%
By occupation other services: 54% (1996)
Note: excluding Israeli settlers
Unemployment rate: 28% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $684 million
Expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1996)
Note: includes Gaza Strip
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$630 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Commodoties: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Partners: Jordan, Israel
Imports: total value:$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Commodoties: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Partners: Jordan, Israel
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $51 million (1995)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1_3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993; Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1_0.7090 (January 1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: NA kW
Capacity note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Production: NA kWh
Production note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Consumption per capita: NA kWh
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: NA
Note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Telephone systemDomestic: NA
International: NA
Note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 2 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailways: 0 km
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement_permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs