Capital

Griechenland

name: Athens

geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: Athens is the oldest European capital city; according to tradition, the city is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom; in actuality, the appellation probably derives from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language

Polen

name: Warsaw

geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: the origin of the name is unknown; the Polish designation "Warszawa" was the name of a fishing village and several legends/traditions link the city's founding to a man named Wars or Warsz

Israel

name: Jerusalem; note - 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 2800 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"

Citizenship

Griechenland

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Greece

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Polen

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Poland

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Israel

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

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

Legal system

Griechenland

civil legal system based on Roman law

Polen

civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final

Israel

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

Suffrage

Griechenland

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Polen

18 years of age; universal

Israel

18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections

Area

Griechenland

total: 131,957 sq km

land: 130,647 sq km

water: 1,310 sq km

Polen

total: 312,685 sq km

land: 304,255 sq km

water: 8,430 sq km

Israel

total: 21,937 sq km

land: 21,497 sq km

water: 440 sq km

Land use

Griechenland

agricultural land: 63.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 19.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 8.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 34.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 30.5% (2018 est.)

other: 6.1% (2018 est.)

Polen

agricultural land: 48.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 36.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 30.6% (2018 est.)

other: 21.2% (2018 est.)

Israel

agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 7.1% (2018 est.)

other: 69.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Griechenland

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Polen

Central Europe, east of Germany

Israel

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Age structure

Griechenland

0-14 years: 14.02% (male 758,311/female 713,794)

15-64 years: 62.66% (male 3,285,484/female 3,292,524)

65 years and over: 23.31% (2023 est.) (male 1,086,188/female 1,361,294)

Polen

0-14 years: 14.53% (male 2,839,788/female 2,680,401)

15-64 years: 64.87% (male 12,364,282/female 12,280,814)

65 years and over: 20.6% (2023 est.) (male 3,171,838/female 4,654,643)

Israel

0-14 years: 25.96% (male 1,200,721/female 1,146,556)

15-64 years: 61.66% (male 2,839,124/female 2,737,054)

65 years and over: 12.38% (2023 est.) (male 506,536/female 613,396)

Birth rate

Griechenland

7.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Polen

8.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Israel

19.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Griechenland

12 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Polen

12.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Israel

5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Griechenland

Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%

major-language sample(s):
Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Polen

Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2%; note - data represent the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Księga Faktów Świata, niezbędne źródło podstawowych informacji. (Polish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Israel

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Griechenland

total population: 81.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.2 years

female: 84.4 years

Polen

total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 71.7 years

female: 80 years

Israel

total population: 82.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 80.2 years

female: 84.3 years

Major urban areas - population

Griechenland

3.154 million ATHENS (capital), 815,000 Thessaloniki (2023)

Polen

1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2023)

Israel

4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)

Median age

Griechenland

total: 46.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 44.3 years

female: 47.9 years

Polen

total: 42.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 41.1 years

female: 43.7 years

Israel

total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.5 years

female: 30.7 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Griechenland

30.7 years (2020 est.)

Polen

27.9 years (2020 est.)

Israel

27.7 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Griechenland

1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Polen

-6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Israel

1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Griechenland

one-third of the population lives in and around metropolitan Athens; the remainder of the country has moderate population density mixed with sizeable urban clusters

Polen

population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

Israel

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

Population growth rate

Griechenland

-0.35% (2023 est.)

Polen

-1.03% (2023 est.)

Israel

1.56% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Griechenland

1.4 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Polen

1.31 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Israel

2.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Griechenland

urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Polen

urban population: 60.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Israel

urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Griechenland

4.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Polen

5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Israel

7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Griechenland

total: 20 years

male: 20 years

female: 20 years (2020)

Polen

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Israel

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Griechenland

0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Polen

-1.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Israel

-2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Griechenland

10.67% (2021 est.)

Polen

3.36% (2021 est.)

Israel

6.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Griechenland

4.619 million (2021 est.)

Polen

18.212 million (2021 est.)

Israel

4.186 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Griechenland

17.9% (2018 est.)

Polen

15.4% (2018 est.)

Israel

22% (2014 est.)

note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day

Unemployment rate

Griechenland

14.8% (2021 est.)

16.3% (2020 est.)

17.31% (2019 est.)

Polen

3.37% (2021 est.)

3.16% (2020 est.)

3.28% (2019 est.)

Israel

5.05% (2021 est.)

4.33% (2020 est.)

3.8% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Griechenland

252.29% of GDP (2020 est.)

212.38% of GDP (2019 est.)

208.84% of GDP (2018 est.)

Polen

50.6% of GDP (2017 est.)

54.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, the data include subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Israel

72.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

60.4% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Griechenland

1.22% (2021 est.)

-1.25% (2020 est.)

0.25% (2019 est.)

Polen

5.06% (2021 est.)

3.37% (2020 est.)

2.23% (2019 est.)

Israel

1.49% (2021 est.)

-0.59% (2020 est.)

0.84% (2019 est.)

Exports

Griechenland

$87.521 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$59.022 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$81.184 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Polen

$411.621 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$336.317 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$330.934 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Israel

$143.884 billion (2021 est.)

$114.422 billion (2020 est.)

$117.779 billion (2019 est.)

note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Griechenland

Italy 10%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, Cyprus 5%, Bulgaria 5% (2019)

Polen

Germany 28%, UK 6%, Czechia 6%, France 6%, Netherlands 4% (2020)

Israel

United States 27%, China 8%, India 4%, Germany 3%, Ireland 3% (2021)

note: Approximately, 6% of Israel's exports went to the Gaza Strip and West Bank, but official data are not available individually for the Palestinian territories.

Imports

Griechenland

$103.532 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$71.758 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$83.192 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Polen

$380.699 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$295.897 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$302.525 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Israel

$124.578 billion (2021 est.)

$95.977 billion (2020 est.)

$108.784 billion (2019 est.)

note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Griechenland

Germany 11%, China 9%, Italy 8%, Iraq 7%, Russia 6%, Netherlands 5% (2019)

Polen

Germany 25%, China 12%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 5%, Czechia 4% (2020)

Israel

China 14%, United States 11%, Turkey 7%, Germany 7%, Switzerland 5% (2021)

Airports

Griechenland

77 (2021)

Polen

126 (2021)

Israel

42 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Griechenland

total: 4,257,026 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)

Polen

total: 8,369,218 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2020 est.)

Israel

total: 2,602,079 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Griechenland

total: 7.8 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)

Polen

total: 32.3 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 85% (2021 est.)

Israel

total: 8.01 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

Railways

Griechenland

total: 2,345 km (2020) 731 km electrified

Polen

total: 19,461 km (2020) 11,946 km electrified

Israel

total: 1,497 km (2021) (2019)

standard gauge: 1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

Roadways

Griechenland

total: 117,000 km (2018)

Polen

total: 420,000 km (2016)

paved: 291,000 km (2016) (includes 1,492 km of expressways, 1,559 of motorways)

unpaved: 129,000 km (2016)

Israel

total: 20,391 km (2021)

paved: 20,391 km (2021) (includes 449 km of expressways)

Telephones - fixed lines

Griechenland

total subscriptions: 4,913,036 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2021 est.)

Polen

total subscriptions: 5,308,497 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2021 est.)

Israel

total subscriptions: 3.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Griechenland

total subscriptions: 11,494,008 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2021 est.)

Polen

total subscriptions: 50,588,785 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (2021 est.)

Israel

total subscriptions: 12.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Griechenland

6 km (2012) (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km)

Polen

3,997 km (2009) (navigable rivers and canals)

Disputes - international

Griechenland

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Greece has a security wall along a portion of its land border with Turkey to deter border crossings by migrants and has announced intentions to extend the wall along the entire border

Polen

Poland-Belarus-Ukraine: as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine

Israel

Israel-Gaza Strip: Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005

Israel-Syria: Golan Heights is Israeli-controlled (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); in March 2019, the US Government recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Israel-West Bank: West Bank is Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; in 2002, Israel began construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; as of mid-2020, plans were to continue barrier construction