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.

Area
Total: 21,937 km²
Land: 21,497 km²
Water: 440 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,068 km
Border countries (6): (6) 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

Coastline: 273 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

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

Elevation
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
Lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
Mean elevation: 508 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 24.8% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
Forest: 6.7% (2023 est.)
Other: 68.5% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,927 km² (2022)

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 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

Population
Total: 9,402,617 (2024 est.)
Male: 4,731,275
Female: 4,671,342
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
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
Growth rate: 1.58% (2024 est.)

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.)

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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 65.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 45.6 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 20.4 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 4.9 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 29.6 years
Female: 30.7 years

Population growth rate: 1.58% (2024 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)

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
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 2 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 81.1 years
Female: 85.1 years

Total fertility rate: 2.92 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.2% (2024 est.); 3.6% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Jerusalem
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: 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'
Note: the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Legal system: mixed system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

Executive branch
Chief 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
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
Most recent election date: 2 June 2021
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
Expected date of next election: June 2,028

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament (Knesset)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 120 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 11/1/2022
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)
Percentage of women in chamber: 24.2%
Expected date of next election: October 2026
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

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

National anthem
Title: 'Hatikvah' (The Hope)
Lyrics/music: Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
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)

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 9 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (2024 est.); 1.8% (2023 est.); 6.3% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 0.9% (2024 est.); 1.8% (2023 est.); 6.3% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 48% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 22.3% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.4% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.7% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 30.4% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27.6% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.3% (2024 est.)
Industry: 17.3% (2024 est.)
Services: 72.5% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: -4.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 4.71 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2024 est.); 3.6% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.2% (2024 est.); 3.6% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $162.524 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $188.905 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 22.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $153.248 billion (2024 est.); $154.638 billion (2023 est.); $164.407 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: integrated circuits, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, medical instruments, refined petroleum (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $140.438 billion (2024 est.); $140.432 billion (2023 est.); $153.388 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, diamonds, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 22.612 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 63.964 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 6.93 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.51 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 89.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 5.297 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 9 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 4.887 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 219,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 12.73 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 24.186 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 12.608 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 11.505 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 59.369 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 176.018 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 64.401 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 11.542 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 28.793 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 24.066 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 112.437 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2.905 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 31 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 13.8 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 152 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2.76 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 8% of GDP (2024 est.); 5% of GDP (2023 est.); 4.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 5% of GDP (2021 est.); 5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 40 (2025)

Heliports: 13 (2025)

Railways
Total: 1,497 km (2021) (2019)
Standard gauge: 1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

Merchant marine
Total: 41 (2023)
By type: container ship 4, general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 32