Identity
Formal name: State of Israel.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Israel
AsiaLand of Contrasts
Expect the unexpected when it comes to Israel. Discover more about this complex place.
Expect the unexpected when it comes to Israel. It ranks #12 in high-tech exports, yet surprisingly lags in forest coverage. Discover more about this complex place.
31.5, 35.1 - Asia
Area
22K km²
Pop.
9.40M
Stats
176
Reality brief
Israel is a country in Asia with a population of 9.40M and an area of 21,937 km². Life expectancy is 83.2 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Life Satisfaction
8.0 pts#3globally
Average self-reported life satisfaction on a 0-10 scale, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.
Life Expectancy
83.2 years#16globally
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Population Density
455.13 /km²#26globally
How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
Human Development Index
0.92#27globally
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita
$47,338.84#41globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Israel
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Geography
Size snapshot: slightly larger than New Jersey.
CIA 2026
Culture
Major languages include Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language).
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Israel
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
R&D Spending (% GDP)
6.0% of GDP#1globallyTop stat
Research and development spending as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Military Spending
8.8% of GDP#2globallyTop stat
Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Gender Pay Gap (%)
20.85% of male wages#3globallyTop stat
Women's earnings shortfall compared with men in the same wage decile, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.
Urban Population (%)
91.54%#31globallyTop stat
The percentage of people living in cities and urban areas.
Mobile Subscriptions (%)
153.34 per 100 people#34globallyTop stat
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, from World Bank Open Data.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #239 in lowest elevation
#239-431 mLowest Elevation
Lowest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Ranks #12 globally in high-tech exports (%)
#1237.23%High-Tech Exports (%)
High-tech products (like computers, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace) as a percentage of total manufactured exports.
Ranks #15 globally in foreign patents
#158.0KForeign Patents
How many patent applications are filed by non-residents each year.
Keeps infant mortality unusually low
#1742.7 per 1k birthsInfant Mortality
Infant deaths before age 1 per 1,000 live births, from World Bank Open Data.
Keeps child mortality unusually low
#1723.4 per 1k birthsChild Mortality
Deaths before age 5 per 1,000 live births, from World Bank Open Data.
Compared with the region
How Israel Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Israel
Asia avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $55,690.74
- Region avg
- $34,339.76
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Israel$55,690.74
Asia$34,339.76
World$31,844.55
+75% above worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 83.2 years
- Region avg
- 75.3 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Israel83.2 years
Asia75.3 years
World73.7 years
+13% above worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.92
- Region avg
- 0.75
- World avg
- 0.74
Israel0.92
Asia0.75
World0.74
+24% above worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 88.18%
- Region avg
- 75.77%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Israel88.18%
Asia75.77%
World70.29%
+25% above worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Israel
Country briefing
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.
Read the full Factbook note
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.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
- 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
- Natural Resources
- timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
- Natural Hazards
- sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
- Size Comparison
- slightly larger than New Jersey
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)
- Religions
- Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- 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.)
- Major Cities
- 4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy
- Capital
- Jerusalem
- Capital Coordinates
- 31 46 N, 35 14 E
- Capital Timezone
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- State of Israel
- Name Origin
- 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
- Independence
- 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)
- National Symbols
- Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand)
- National Anthem
- "Hatikvah" (The Hope)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 9 (all cultural)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- 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
- 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
- Agricultural Products
- milk, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, tangerines/mandarins, bananas, eggs, avocados, beef, carrots/turnips (2023)
- Export Partners
- USA 29%, China 10%, Ireland 6%, Germany 4%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- integrated circuits, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, medical instruments, refined petroleum (2023)
- Import Partners
- China 17%, USA 12%, Germany 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 4% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- cars, diamonds, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense5 facts
- Military Forces
- 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)
- Military Service
- 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)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 89.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- 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)
- Space Program
- 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)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Education & Future7 statsBest: #1
Military & Defense2 statsBest: #2
Wealth & Economy13 statsBest: #3
Gender Pay Gap (%)
High-Tech Exports (%)
GDP (Nominal)
GDP Per Capita
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
Government Debt (% GDP)
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
Inflation Rate
Employment Rate (%)
Unemployment Rate
GDP Growth Rate
Youth Unemployment Rate
Long-Term Unemployment
Society & Equality6 statsBest: #3
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #16
Life Expectancy
Doctors (per 1,000)
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Health Spending (% GDP)
Smoking Rate
Obesity Rate
Suicide Rate
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Demographics12 statsBest: #26
Population Density
Urban Population (%)
Fertility Rate
Dependency Ratio
Birth Rate
Elderly Population (%)
Youth Population (%)
Population
Median Age
Land Area
Teen Birth Rate
Death Rate
Technology3 statsBest: #34
Energy1 statsBest: #46
Electric Generating Capacity
22.61M kW#46
Environment9 statsBest: #49
Protected Land (%)
Electricity Access (%)
CO2 Per Capita
Total CO2 Emissions
Irrigated Land
1.9K km²#74
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Renewable Energy (%)
Forest Area
Forest Coverage (%)
Lifestyle4 statsBest: #52
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #82
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #115
Highest Elevation
2.2K m#115
Land Border Length
1.1K km#122
Coastline Length
273 km#135
Lowest Elevation
-431 m#239
Keep exploring
Related Countries
Compare Israel vs neighbors
Open the head-to-head pages people naturally search after reading this profile.
Where Israel leads
Jump straight to the rankings where this country has its strongest edge.
Countries with Similar GDP
More Asia Countries
Share a country stat
Turn Israel's strongest number into a challenge card.
Israel
#3 in Life Satisfaction
Average self-reported life satisfaction on a 0-10 scale, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.
Top 5% globally
8.0 pts
Frequently Asked Questions about Israel
What is the population of Israel?
Israel has a population of 9.40M, ranking #98 globally by population.
What continent is Israel in?
Israel is located in Asia. It has an area of 21,937 km².
What is the life expectancy in Israel?
Life expectancy in Israel is 83.2 years, ranking #16 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Israel?
Israel's GDP per capita (PPP) is $55,690.74, ranking #40 globally.
What is Israel known for in global statistics?
Israel ranks particularly high in Life Satisfaction (#3), Life Expectancy (#16), Life Expectancy (#29).
What is Israel's Human Development Index?
Israel has an HDI of 0.919, ranking #27 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is Israel?
Israel has a population density of 455.1 people per km², ranking #26 globally.