Israel

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

31 30 N, 34 45 E

Middle East

21,937 sq km

21,497 sq km

440 sq km

Slightly larger than New Jersey

1,068 km

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

273 km

12 nm

To depth of exploitation

Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

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

Dead Sea -431 m

508 m

Timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

24.8% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)

6.7% (2023 est.)

68.5% (2023 est.)

1,927 sq km (2022)

Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 sq km note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level

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

Sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

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 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

9,402,617 (2024 est.)

4,731,275

4,671,342

Israeli(s)

Israeli

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.)

Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)

ספר עובדות העולם, המקור החיוני למידע בסיסי (Hebrew) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)

27.5% (male 1,320,629/female 1,260,977)

60.3% (male 2,885,485/female 2,781,777)

12.3% (2024 est.) (male 525,161/female 628,588)

65.9 (2024 est.)

45.6 (2024 est.)

20.4 (2024 est.)

4.9 (2024 est.)

30.2 years (2025 est.)

29.6 years

30.7 years

1.59% (2025 est.)

18.89 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

92.9% of total population (2023)

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

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

1.05 male(s)/female

1.05 male(s)/female

1.04 male(s)/female

0.84 male(s)/female

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

27.7 years (2019 est.)

2 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

2.3 deaths/1,000 live births

83.1 years (2024 est.)

81.1 years

85.1 years

2.89 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.41 (2025 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

7.9% of GDP (2021)

13% of national budget (2022 est.)

3.8 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

3.1 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 99% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

26.1% (2016)

3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

18.6% (2025 est.)

24.9% (2025 est.)

12.4% (2025 est.)

50.4% (2021 est.)

5.9% of GDP (2022 est.)

16.1% national budget (2022 est.)

15 years (2022 est.)

14 years (2022 est.)

16 years (2022 est.)

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

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

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation

Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

24.8% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)

6.7% (2023 est.)

68.5% (2023 est.)

92.9% of total population (2023)

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

64.401 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

11.542 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

28.793 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

24.066 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

20.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

29.2 kt (2022-2024 est.)

40.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

272.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

0.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

5.4 million tons (2024 est.)

30.4% (2022 est.)

1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

104.834 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

1.215 billion cubic meters (2022)

1.78 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

State of Israel

Israel

Medinat Yisra'el

Yisra'el

Mandatory Palestine

Named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel; according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name Israel (meaning "He who struggles with God") after he wrestled with an angel of the Lord

Parliamentary democracy

Jerusalem

31 46 N, 35 14 E

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

+1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October

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"

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

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

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)

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

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

No

At least one parent must be a citizen of Israel

Yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship

3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization

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

President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)

Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

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

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

June 2028

Parliament (Knesset)

Unicameral

120 (all directly elected)

Proportional representation

Full renewal

4 years

11/1/2022

Likud (32); Yesh Atid (24); Religious Zionism (14); National Unity (12); Shas (11); United Torah Judaism (Yahadut Hatorah) (7); Yisrael Beiteinu (6); Other (14)

24.2%

October 2026

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

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

District and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts

Balad Blue and White Hadash Labor Party or HaAvoda Likud Meretz National Unity (alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope) New Hope Noam Otzma Yehudit 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

Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) LEITER (since 4 February 2025)

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

[1] (202) 364-5500

[1] (202) 364-5607

Consular@washington.mfa.gov.il https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Ambassador Mike HUCKABEE (21 April 2025)

14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9378322

6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20521-6350

[972] (2) 630-4000

[972] (2) 630-4070

JerusalemACS@state.gov https://il.usembassy.gov/

Tel Aviv

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, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)

Independence Day, 14 May (1948)

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 history: the 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

Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand)

Blue, white

"Hatikvah" (The Hope)

Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN

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)

9 (all cultural)

Masada; Old City of Acre; White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement; Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba; Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev; Bahá’i Holy Places; Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel; Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin; Necropolis of Bet She’arim

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

$472.177 billion (2024 est.)

$468.095 billion (2023 est.)

$459.698 billion (2022 est.)

0.9% (2024 est.)

1.8% (2023 est.)

6.3% (2022 est.)

$47,300 (2024 est.)

$47,500 (2023 est.)

$48,100 (2022 est.)

$540.38 billion (2024 est.)

3.1% (2024 est.)

4.2% (2023 est.)

4.4% (2022 est.)

1.3% (2024 est.)

17.3% (2024 est.)

72.5% (2024 est.)

48% (2023 est.)

22.3% (2023 est.)

24.4% (2023 est.)

1.7% (2023 est.)

30.4% (2023 est.)

-27.6% (2023 est.)

Milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, tangerines/mandarins, bananas, eggs, avocados, beef, carrots/turnips (2023)

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

-4.2% (2024 est.)

4.71 million (2024 est.)

3.2% (2024 est.)

3.6% (2023 est.)

3.7% (2022 est.)

6.1% (2024 est.)

6.2% (2024 est.)

6% (2024 est.)

37.9 (2021 est.)

15.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

2.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

2% (2021 est.)

26.6% (2021 est.)

0.2% of GDP (2024 est.)

0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

0.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

$162.524 billion (2023 est.)

$188.905 billion (2023 est.)

59.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

22.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

$16.713 billion (2024 est.)

$18.604 billion (2023 est.)

$17.104 billion (2022 est.)

$153.248 billion (2024 est.)

$154.638 billion (2023 est.)

$164.407 billion (2022 est.)

USA 29%, China 10%, Ireland 6%, Germany 4%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)

Integrated circuits, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, medical instruments, refined petroleum (2023)

$140.438 billion (2024 est.)

$140.432 billion (2023 est.)

$153.388 billion (2022 est.)

China 17%, USA 12%, Germany 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 4% (2023)

Cars, diamonds, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)

$214.544 billion (2024 est.)

$204.661 billion (2023 est.)

$194.231 billion (2022 est.)

New Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -

3.7 (2024 est.)

3.667 (2023 est.)

3.36 (2022 est.)

3.23 (2021 est.)

3.442 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

22.612 million kW (2023 est.)

63.964 billion kWh (2023 est.)

6.93 billion kWh (2023 est.)

3.51 billion kWh (2023 est.)

89.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

5.297 million metric tons (2023 est.)

9 metric tons (2022 est.)

4.887 million metric tons (2023 est.)

15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

219,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

12.73 million barrels (2021 est.)

24.186 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

12.608 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

11.505 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

59.369 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

176.018 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

112.437 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

2.905 million (2023 est.)

31 (2023 est.)

13.8 million (2022 est.)

152 (2022 est.)

The Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) has 3 channels, two in Hebrew and one in Arabic; multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels; IBC broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters, and Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations; about 15 privately owned radio stations (2019)

.il

87% (2023 est.)

2.76 million (2023 est.)

30 (2023 est.)

4X

40 (2025)

13 (2025)

1,497 km (2021) (2019)

1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

41 (2023)

Container ship 4, general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 32

5 (2024)

0

1

2

2

4

Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat, Hadera, Haifa

Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense) Ministry of National Security: Israeli Police (2025)

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.)

Approximately 170,000 active-duty Defense Forces (130,000 Ground Forces; 10,000 Naval; 30,000 Air Force); more than 400,000 reserves (2025)

The majority of the IDF's inventory is comprised of weapons that are domestically produced or imported from Europe and the US; the US has been the leading supplier of arms in recent years; Israel's defense industry can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armored vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defense, and guided missiles (2025)

18-28 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 months service for men, 12 months for women; 18-21 years of age for compulsory military service for men and women; Jews and Druze can be conscripted; Christians, Circassians, and Muslims may volunteer; conscript service obligation is up to 36 months for enlisted personnel (depending on sex, marital status, and military occupation); officers serve 48 months; Air Force pilots commit to 9 years of service (2024)

The IDF is responsible for external defense but also has some domestic security responsibilities; its primary operational focuses include the threat posed by Iran, instability in Syria, and terrorist organizations, including HAMAS, Hizballah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad; since its creation from armed Jewish militias during the First Arab-Israeli War in 1948-49, the IDF, particularly the Ground Force, has been guided by a requirement to rapidly mobilize and defend the country’s territory from numerically superior neighboring countries; the active-duty military is backed up by a large force of trained reserves--approximately 300-400,000 personnel--that can be mobilized rapidly Israel’s primary security partner is the US; consistent with a 10-year (2019-2028) Memorandum of Understanding, the US annually provides over $3 billion in military financing and cooperative military programs, such as missile defense; the US also provides Israel access to US-produced military weapons systems including advanced fighter aircraft; Israel has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; UNDOF consists of about 1,300 total personnel (2025)

Israel Space Agency (ISA; established 1983 under the Ministry of Science and Technology; origins go back to the creation of a National Committee for Space Research, established 1960); Ministry of Defense Space Department (2025)

Palmachim Airbase (Central district) (2025)

Has an ambitious space program that is one of the most advanced in the region; designs, builds, operates, and launches communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; designs, builds, and operates orbital satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs); researches and develops a range of other space-related capabilities, with a focus on lightweight and miniaturized technologies; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Canada, the ESA, individual ESA member states (such as France, Germany, and Italy), India, Japan, Mexico, and the US; has a substantial commercial space sector, as well as state-owned enterprises (2025)

1961 - first sounding rocket launched 1988 - first operational launch of small-lift satellite launch vehicle (SLV) (Shavit) placed first domestically produced technology-demonstrator satellite (Ofeq-1) in orbit 1995 - launched first fully operational remote sensing satellite (Ofeq-3) on Shavit SLV 2007 - unveiled Shavit-2 small-lift 3-stage SLV 2014 - joined ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) project; domestically built lunar probe (Beresheet) launched by US (crashed on Moon’s surface) 2022 - joined US Artemis Moon exploration project

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ); HAMAS

27,413 (2024 est.)

68,000 (2024 est.)

35 (2024 est.)