Capital

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

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

Israel

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

Suffrage

Israel

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

Area

Israel

total: 21,937 sq km

land: 21,497 sq km

water: 440 sq km

Land use

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

Israel

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

Age structure

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

Israel

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

Death rate

Israel

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

Languages

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

Israel

total population: 82.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 80.2 years

female: 84.3 years

Major urban areas - population

Israel

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

Median age

Israel

total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.5 years

female: 30.7 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Israel

27.7 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Israel

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

Population distribution

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

Israel

1.56% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Israel

2.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Israel

urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Israel

7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Israel

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Israel

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

Industrial production growth rate

Israel

6.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Israel

4.186 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Israel

22% (2014 est.)

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

Unemployment rate

Israel

5.05% (2021 est.)

4.33% (2020 est.)

3.8% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Israel

72.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

60.4% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Israel

1.49% (2021 est.)

-0.59% (2020 est.)

0.84% (2019 est.)

Exports

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

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

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

Israel

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

Airports

Israel

42 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Israel

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Israel

total: 8.01 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

Railways

Israel

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

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

Roadways

Israel

total: 20,391 km (2021)

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

Telephones - fixed lines

Israel

total subscriptions: 3.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Israel

total subscriptions: 12.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)

Disputes - international

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