top of pageBackground:
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.
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
ElevationHighest 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
Lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
Mean elevation: 508 m
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
GeographyNote 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); its survey is not complete, and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock)
top of pagePopulationDistribution: 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
Total: 9,402,617
Male: 4,731,275
Female: 4,671,342 (2024 est.)
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 Gheos worldguide no longer includes Israeli settler population of the Golan Heights (estimated at 23,400 in 2019) in its overall Israeli settler total
Growth rate: 1.58% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 22% (2014 est.)
Below poverty line note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day
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.)
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)
Major-language samples: ספר עובדות העולם, המקור החיוני למידע בסיסי (Hebrew); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions: Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)
Age structure0-14 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)
Birth rate: 19.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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
EnvironmentCurrent 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
International 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation
top of pageCapitalName: JerusalemNote: the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty
Geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E
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
Etymology: Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2,800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; uru-shalim likely means 'foundation of [by] the god Shalim', and derives from Hebrew/Semitic yry, 'to found or lay a cornerstone', and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for 'peace' are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as 'The City of Peace' or 'The Abode of Peace'
Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence: 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1948)
Note: Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
ConstitutionHistory: 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)
Amendments: 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; 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2020 (Basic Law: the Knesset)
Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws
CitizenshipCitizenship 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
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections
Executive branchChief of state: President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
Head of government: Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; election last held on 2 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2,028); 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
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
Legislative branchDescription: unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 1 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026)
Elections results: percent by party - Likud 23.4%, Yesh Atid 17.8%, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 10.8%, National Unity 9.1%, Shas 8.2%, UTJ 5.9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 4.5%, United Arab List 4.1%, Hadash-Ta'al 3.8%, Labor 3.7%, Meretz 3.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 32, Yesh Atid 24, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 14, National Unity 12, Shas 11, UTJ 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 6, Hadash-Ta'al 5, United Arab List 5, Labor 4; composition - men 90, women 30, percentage women 25%
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
Judicial branchHighest courts: 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
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
Subordinate courts: district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts
Political parties and leaders: Balad, Blue and White, Hadash, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit), Labor Party or HaAvoda, Likud, Meretz, National Unity (alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope), New Hope, Noam, Religious Zionism (election alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit), and Noam), 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
International organization participation: 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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael HERZOG (since 1 December 2021)
In the us chancery: 3,514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-5,500
In the us fax: [1] (202) 364-5,607
In the us email address and website: consular@washington.mfa.gov.il;
[link]In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jacob J. LEW (since 5 November 2023)
From the us embassy: 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9,378,322
From the us mailing address: 6,350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20,521-6,350
From the us telephone: [972] (2) 630-4,000
From the us fax: [972] (2) 630-4,070
From the us email address and website: JerusalemACS@state.gov;
[link]From the us branch offices: Tel Aviv
From the us 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
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; the basic 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
Note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary from a light to a dark blue
National symbols: Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand); national colors: blue, white
National anthemName: 'Hatikvah' (The Hope)
Lyrics/music: Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
Note: 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)
top of pageEconomy 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
Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2023 est.); 6.83% (2022 est.); 8.61% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Agriculture products: milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, grapefruits, eggs, tangerines/mandarins, carrots/turnips (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
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: 4.554 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Unemployment rate: 3.39% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.); 4.81% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
BudgetRevenues: $180.935 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $184.823 billion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Current account balance: $25.089 billion (2023 est.); $20.34 billion (2022 est.); $19.095 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports: $156.165 billion (2023 est.); $166.227 billion (2022 est.); $143.505 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: US 25%, China 7%, West Bank/Gaza Strip 6%, Ireland 5%, UK 4% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: diamonds, integrated circuits, refined petroleum, fertilizers, medical instruments (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports: $137.567 billion (2023 est.); $150.804 billion (2022 est.); $125.948 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: China 14%, US 11%, Turkey 7%, Germany 6%, India 5% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: diamonds, cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, garments (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $204.661 billion (2023 est.); $194.231 billion (2022 est.); $212.934 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.667 (2023 est.)
3.36 (2022 est.)
3.23 (2021 est.)
3.442 (2020 est.)
3.565 (2019 est.)
top of pagetop of pagetop of pageMilitary expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2023 est.); 4.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 5% of GDP (2021 est.); 5% of GDP (2020 est.); 5.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military and security forces: Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense) (2024)
Note 1: the national police, including the border police and the immigration police, are under the authority of the Ministry of Public Security
Note 2: the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) is charged with combating terrorism and espionage in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip; it is under the authority of the Prime Minister; ISA forces operating in the West Bank fall under the IDF for operations and operational debriefing
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; Jews and Druze can be conscripted; Christians, Circassians, and Muslims may volunteer; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation is 32 months for enlisted men and about 24 months for enlisted women (varies based on military occupation); officers serve 48 months; Air Force pilots commit to 9 years of service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), age 24 (women) (2024)
Note: the IDF recruits foreign Jews and non-Jews with a minimum of one Jewish grandparent, as well as converts to Judaism; each year the IDF brings in about 800-1,000 foreign recruits from around the world
Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Palestinian Islamic Jihad; HAMAS
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
top of pagePipelines: 763 km gas, 442 km oil, 261 km refined products (2013)
Israel - Transnational issues 2024
top of pageIllicit drugs: increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center
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