Capital

Republik Moldau

name: Chisinau in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian)

geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 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: origin unclear but may derive from the archaic Romanian word chisla ("spring" or "water source") and noua ("new") because the original settlement was built at the site of a small spring

note: pronounced KEE-shee-now (KIH-shi-nyov)

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

Republik Moldau

citizenship by birth: no

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

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 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

Republik Moldau

civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

Israel

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

Suffrage

Republik Moldau

18 years of age; universal

Israel

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

Area

Republik Moldau

total: 33,851 sq km

land: 32,891 sq km

water: 960 sq km

Israel

total: 21,937 sq km

land: 21,497 sq km

water: 440 sq km

Land use

Republik Moldau

agricultural land: 74.9% (2018 est.)

arable land: 55.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)

other: 13.2% (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

Republik Moldau

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Israel

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

Age structure

Republik Moldau

0-14 years: 18.01% (male 301,432/female 284,034)

15-64 years: 66.37% (male 1,087,397/female 1,069,902)

65 years and over: 15.62% (2023 est.) (male 203,889/female 303,878)

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

Republik Moldau

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

Israel

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

Death rate

Republik Moldau

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

Israel

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

Languages

Republik Moldau

Moldovan/Romanian 80.2% (official) (56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan, which is virtually the same as Romanian; 23.5% identify Romanian as their mother tongue), Russian 9.7%, Gagauz 4.2% (a Turkish language), Ukrainian 3.9%, Bulgarian 1.5%, Romani 0.3%, other 0.2% (2014 est.); note - data represent mother tongue; as of March 2023, Romanian replaced Moldovan as the name of Moldova's official language

major-language sample(s):
Cartea informativa a lumii, sursa indispensabila pentru informatii de baza. (Moldovan/Romanian)

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

Republik Moldau

total population: 69.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.8 years

female: 73.9 years

Israel

total population: 82.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 80.2 years

female: 84.3 years

Major urban areas - population

Republik Moldau

488,000 CHISINAU (capital) (2023)

Israel

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

Median age

Republik Moldau

total: 39.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 38.1 years

female: 40.8 years

Israel

total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.5 years

female: 30.7 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Republik Moldau

25.2 years (2019 est.)

Israel

27.7 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Republik Moldau

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

Israel

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

Population distribution

Republik Moldau

pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country, the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau, followed by Tiraspol and Balti

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

Republik Moldau

-0.58% (2023 est.)

Israel

1.56% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Republik Moldau

1.25 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Israel

2.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Republik Moldau

urban population: 43.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.09% 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

Republik Moldau

6.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Israel

7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Republik Moldau

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2021)

Israel

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Republik Moldau

-0.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Israel

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

Industrial production growth rate

Republik Moldau

-0.67% (2021 est.)

Israel

6.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Republik Moldau

810,000 (2021 est.)

Israel

4.186 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Republik Moldau

7.3% (2018 est.)

Israel

22% (2014 est.)

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

Unemployment rate

Republik Moldau

3.96% (2021 est.)

3.82% (2020 est.)

5.1% (2019 est.)

Israel

5.05% (2021 est.)

4.33% (2020 est.)

3.8% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Republik Moldau

33.01% of GDP (2020 est.)

24.95% of GDP (2019 est.)

27.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Israel

72.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

60.4% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Republik Moldau

5.11% (2021 est.)

3.77% (2020 est.)

4.84% (2019 est.)

Israel

1.49% (2021 est.)

-0.59% (2020 est.)

0.84% (2019 est.)

Exports

Republik Moldau

$4.197 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.222 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.662 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

Republik Moldau

Romania 27%, Russia 9%, Italy 9%, Germany 9%, Turkey 6%, Poland 5% (2019)

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

Republik Moldau

$7.915 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.918 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$6.608 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

Republik Moldau

Romania 20%, Russia 10%, Ukraine 9%, Germany 8%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 6% (2019)

Israel

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

Airports

Republik Moldau

7 (2021)

Israel

42 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Republik Moldau

total: 719,001 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2020 est.)

Israel

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Republik Moldau

total: 1.891 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 61% (2021 est.)

Israel

total: 8.01 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

Railways

Republik Moldau

total: 1,171 km (2014)

standard gauge: 14 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

broad gauge: 1,157 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge

Israel

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

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

Roadways

Republik Moldau

total: 9,352 km (2012)

paved: 8,835 km (2012)

unpaved: 517 km (2012)

Israel

total: 20,391 km (2021)

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

Telephones - fixed lines

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 1,000,228 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2021 est.)

Israel

total subscriptions: 3.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Republik Moldau

total subscriptions: 3,900,179 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Israel

total subscriptions: 12.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Republik Moldau

558 km (2011) (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut Rivers)

Disputes - international

Republik Moldau

Moldova-Romania: none identified

Moldova-Ukraine: Ukraine and Moldova signed an agreement officially delimiting their border in 1999, but the border has not been demarcated due to Moldova's difficulties with the break-away region of Transnistria; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan, Transnistrian, Russian, and Ukrainian troops

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