Israel

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Israel spends 5.34 percent of its GDP, or US$20.5 billion on its military. This represents just over one percent of total global military expenditure and makes Israel the 16th highest military spender in the world.

The Israeli military, called the Israeli Defence forces, consist of a Navy, ground forces and an Air Force. A large part of its military forces are conscripts which is obligatory for every Israeli citizen from the age of 18. Men have an average conscription of 2.8 years while women have an average conscription of two years. In total, Israel spends 5.34 percent of its GDP, or US$20.5 billion on its military. This represents just over one percent of total global military expenditure and makes Israel the 16th highest military spender in the world.

Military membership

Israel is a member of four international military organizations which makes it the 117th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

States with nuclear weapons
Conference on Disarmament
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency

Military membership

International wars

Israel has partaken in 19 international wars. These are:

Jewish insurgency in Palestine 1944-1947
Civil War in Mandatory Palestine 1947-1948
Arab–Israeli War 1948-1949
Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency 1949-1956
Reprisal operations 1951-1966
Suez Crisis 1956-1956
Six-Day War 1967-1967
War of Attrition 1967-1970
Yom Kippur War 1973-1973

Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990
South Lebanon conflict 1978-1978
Lebanon War 1981-1985
Eritrean–Ethiopian War 1998-1000
Second Intifada 1000-1005
Shebaa Farms conflict 1000-1006
Iran–PJAK conflict 2004-2015
Lebanon War 2006-2006
Persian Gulf crisis 2019-present
Second Nagorno-Karabakh war 2010-2010

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Israel is a member of nine international political organizations making it the 156th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
UNIDROIT
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Western European and Others Group
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Politics in Israel has been relatively stable over the last 60 years. This makes Israel the 43rd most democratic state in the world. However, as a result of discrimination against the Arab population as well as a centralization of power by the Israeli Prime Minister, it is likely that Israel will be ranked lower in the future.

Democracy/Dictatorship

Israel is one of the few democracies within the region and is based on a multiparty system where the Prime Minister is head of government.

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Home to many holy sites that are significant for Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Israel has been the most religiously contended state in the world. The area has been populated since the 12th century BC and evolved into a civilization around 1000 BC. Over the centuries, the area was controlled by several great empires such as the Egyptians, the Romans, the Persians and Alexander the great until it became conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century. The area was held by different Islamic rulers until the start of the 20th century, with only temporal loss of territory as a result of the Crusades. As a result of the Ottoman Empire losing the first world war, the Empire was partitioned into several areas that were under control of the British and the French. Israel became part of the British Empire until 1948 when the British withdrew and the Jews living in Palestine proclaims the state of Israel. The following day, the territory was invaded by five Arab states that were within its proximity. Against all odds, Israel defended its borders and went on the offensive until a cease-fire was signed in 1949. This has led to the increase of land by Israel's original claim. Since then, Israel has fought many wars with its neighbouring states which has led to high political tensions that are still present to this day. .

The geography of Israel is quite diverse with a low-lying Western plain that is located on the Mediterranean Sea and a low-lying plain that is located on the Dead Sea. There is a small mountain range to its north on the border with Lebanon, the sea of Galilee that covers a large part of the border with Syria to its northeast, a Valley to its east that covers its border with Jordan and a mountain range to its southwest on the border with Egypt. In its center, it splits up the state of Palestine between the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Most of its terrain can be divided up into a lightly vegetated northern part and a southern part that mainly consists of a desert.

It is the 149th largest state in the world with 20,874 square kilometers or 8060 square miles. This makes Israel slightly larger than Slovenia and slightly smaller than El Salvador.

It has approximately 442 square kilometers or 171 square miles of surface water which makes it the 121st highest in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water comes from aquifers which can be found on the coast or within its mountain ranges as well as Lake Tiberias. Most of its drinking water is extracted from the Mediterranean Sea by desalination plants.

The climates of Israel can be split up into its northern parts which is considered to be a Mediterranean climate and its southern parts which is considered to be a desert climate. On average, Israel is the 109th warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 19.7 degrees Celsius or 67.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the summer period, from July to September, the average temperature is 24.9 degrees Celsius or 76.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

During winter time, between January to March, the average temperature is 14 degrees Celsius or 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rain is unevenly spread out throughout Israel with its northern part receiving nearly 30 times more rainfall than its southern part. On average, Israel receives 46.7 centimetres or 18 inches of rainfall per year. This makes Israel the 162nd state with the highest amount of rainfall.

The capital of Israel, Jerusalem, is a home to around 750,000 people. The capital of Jerusalem is also the capital of Palestine although the Palestinian parts is called East Jerusalem. The capital that is furthest removed from Jerusalem is Nuku'alofa of Tonga with a distance of 16,775 kilometers or 10,423 miles.

The economy of Israel is a market economy with a focus on advanced technology. Over the last 60 years, Israel has developed its industrial sector into a highly developed sector. Also, because of the regional tensions, Israel has developed its own arms industry with state-of-the-art tanks, as well as the Iron Dome. However, most of its exports are diamonds as well as medical equipment. Another growing sector is gas which has been found of the coast of Israel. Most of its products are exported to the United Kingdom which is solely responsible for more than 25 percent of total exports. Most of its imports comes from China and the United States which combined represent nearly 30 percent of all imports.

Israel is a member of 11 international economic organizations making it the 129th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Renewable Energy Agency

Its GDP is the 33rd highest in the world. With more than US$381 billion, it represents 0.456 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per square kilometer is US$18.3 billion or US$47.4 billion per square mile. This makes Israel the 10th highest in terms of surface GDP.

Its GDP per capita is around US$44,000 and is the 21st highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power, however, is US$39,000 which is the 36th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total of 8.7 million people, Israel is the 98th most populous state in the world. Because of its shifting borders as well as being surrounded by Arab states, the population of Israel is 70 percent ethnic Jewish and 30 percent Arab. However, Hebrew is the only officially recognized language. The Jewish population can find its origin from all over the world while the Arab population mainly consists of Palestinians.

Its population density is the 20th highest in the world with 418 people per square kilometer or 1082 people per square mile.

Around four percent, or more than 370,000 people have migrated from Israel. Most migrants went to Europe or north America with the United States representing one third of all Israeli emigrants.

13.26 percent of the population, or just over 1.2 million people, have migrated to Israel. This makes Israel the 32nd state with the highest number of immigrants which represents 0.492 percent of total global migration. As mentioned earlier, migration to Israel started shortly after the second world war and with an adoption of Israeli law in 1950, people with Jewish heritage have been granted Israeli citizenship. However, immigration by people with non-Jewish heritage has been deterred over the last 60 years. The places of origin vary heavily, but Morocco and Russia represent the largest supplier of immigrants to Israel.

Education is provided for free and is compulsory between the ages of three and 16. Because of the large Arab population, education is either given in Arab or Hebrew. Despite this, Israel has a literacy rate of 94.7 percent which is the 94th highest in the world.

Israel has universal healthcare which is financed by the state as well as through health insurances by its citizens. Healthcare in Israel is considered to be among the best in the world and the average life expectancy of 83.5 years as the 20th highest in the world. Women reach an average age of 84.9 years while men reach an average age of 82 years.

Since its independence, Israel describes itself as a Jewish state but does not have an official state religion. Aside from this, Israel provides freedom of religion towards all religions. However, due to religious tensions as well as terrorist attacks, the Israeli state has made discriminatory practices between the Jewish population and the Muslim population.

Christianity is the third largest religion in Israel and is practiced by 2.3 percent of the population. Israel, along with Palestine, has been seen as the birthplace of Christianity with the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, more than 20 Christian denominations are present in Israel.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is the second largest religion in Israel and is represented by 18.4 percent of the population. Jerusalem, with its al-Aqsa Mosque has been deemed the third most important religious site of Islam because it is believed that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven from there.

Buddhism is represented by 0.27 percent of the population.

Hinduism is represented by 0.07 percent of the population and is mainly represented by the Vaishnava community that had fled from Russia at the end of the 20th century.

Judaism is represented by 75.33 percent of the population. This makes Israel the most of Jewish state in the world and the only state with a Jewish majority.

Other religions are represented by 0.2 percent of the population and are mainly represented by the Semitic neopaganism movements.

Irreligion is represented by 2.08 percent of the population and is mainly represented by the people of Jewish descent which has shown a decrease in the importance of religion.