Map of West Bank | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 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 boundaries
Total: 478 km
Border countries (2): (2) Israel 330 km; Jordan 148 km

Coastline: 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 in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east

Elevation
Highest point: Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m
Lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 64.9% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 7% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 11.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 46.1% (2023 est.)
Forest: 1.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip

Irrigated land: (2013) 151 km²; note - includes Gaza Strip

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers (2017)


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Population
Total: 3,243,369 (2024 est.)
Male: 1,648,450
Female: 1,594,919
Note: approximately 468,300 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2022); approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021)
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
Growth rate: 2.07% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

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.

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

Demographic profile

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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 68.1 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 61.6 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.5 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 15.4 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 21.6 years
Female: 22.1 years

Population growth rate: 2.07% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 27.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 3.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Major urban areas

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
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
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 17.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 12.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 74.4 years
Female: 78.8 years

Total fertility rate: 3.49 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.1% (2020 est.)
Note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 24.5% (2022 est.); 26.4% (2021 est.); 25.9% (2020 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip


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Country name

Government type

Capital

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 4 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -26.6% (2024 est.); -4.6% (2023 est.); 4.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Real gdp per capita: -26.6% (2024 est.); -4.6% (2023 est.); 4.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 95.5% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 20.7% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.7% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 21% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -60.3% (2024 est.)
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.)
Services: 58.3% (2022 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

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

Industrial production growth rate: -32.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Labor force: 1.391 million (2022 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Unemployment rate: 24.5% (2022 est.); 26.4% (2021 est.); 25.9% (2020 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 24.5% (2022 est.); 26.4% (2021 est.); 25.9% (2020 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.409 billion (2021 est.)
Expenditures: $1.499 billion (2021 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenditures (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 21.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2.885 billion (2024 est.); $3.413 billion (2023 est.); $3.533 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Commodities: scrap iron, tropical fruits, olive oil, building stone, prepared meat (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Imports: $8.264 billion (2024 est.); $11.637 billion (2023 est.); $12.257 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Commodities: cement, raw sugar, cars, baked goods, perfumes (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 352,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 6.956 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 6.925 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 988 million kWh (2023 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Access note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Generation sources fossil fuels: 66.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 33.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Coal
Exports: 1 metric tons (2023 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.913 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.913 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Energy consumption per capita: 14.991 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 384,000 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines note: entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4.15 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 78 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular note: entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)
Users note: includes the Gaza Strip

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 431,000 (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2023 est.)
Note: includes the Gaza Strip


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Military expenditures: not available

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2025)

Heliports: 2 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs