Basic Facts ABOUT ISRAEL

Official name	State of Israel
Capital	Jerusalem
NOTE: In 1950 the Israeli Parliament proclaimed Jerusalem its capital. Most countries, however, do not recognize this status and maintain embassies in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Area	21,946 sq km
	8,473 sq mi
People
Population	6,500,389 (2008 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate	1.13 percent (2008 estimate)
Projected population in 2025	7,612,022 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050	8,516,835 (2050 estimate)
Population density	320 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
	828 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban	92 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural	8 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Jerusalem	701,512 (2004 estimate)
Tel Aviv-Yafo	368,635 (2004 estimate)
Haifa	269,417 (2004 estimate)
Rishon LeẔiyyon	216,851 (2004 estimate)
Holon	165,900 (2004 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Jewish (Israel-born 62 percent, Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 26 percent, Africa-born 7 percent, Asia-born 5 percent)	82 percent
Non-Jewish (mostly Arab)	18 percent
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English
Religious affiliations
Jewish	77 percent
Muslim (mostly Sunni Muslim)	12 percent
Christian	5 percent
Nonreligious	4 percent
Other (including Druze, Baha’i)	2 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total	79.7 years (2008 estimate)
Female	82 years (2008 estimate)
Male	77.6 years (2008 estimate)
Infant mortality rate	7 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)
Population per physician	273 people (2006)
Population per hospital bed	164 people (2003)
Literacy rate
Total	96 percent (2005 estimate)
Female	94.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Male	97.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP)	7.8 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling	11 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school	15 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government	Republic
Head of state	President
Head of government	Prime minister
Legislature	Unicameral legislature
	Knesset (Assembly): 120 members
Voting qualifications	Universal at age 18
Constitution
Israel has no formal constitution, but the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament, and the Israeli citizenship law fill some of a constitution’s functions.
Highest court	Supreme Court
Armed forces	Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel	168,300 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP)	9.5 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions	Six administrative districts
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$)	$140.5 billion (2006)
GDP per capita (U.S.$)	$19,926.90 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing	Not available
Industry	Not available
Services	Not available
Employment
Number of workers	2,776,049 (2006)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing	2 percent (2005)
Industry	22 percent (2005)
Services	76 percent (2005)
Unemployment rate	10.7 percent (2003)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue	$56,010 million (2006)
Total expenditure	$61,812 million (2006)
Monetary unit
1 new Israeli sheqel (NIS), consisting of 100 new agorot
Agriculture
Citrus fruits, tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, melons, apples, grapes, poultry, livestock and flowers
Mining
Bromine, potash, magnesium, petroleum, natural gas, granite and marble
Manufacturing
Food products, beverages, tobacco, electrical machinery, chemicals, petroleum and coal products, metal products, textiles and clothing, polished diamonds
Major exports
Finished diamonds, machinery and machine parts, chemical products, fruits and vegetables (especially citrus fruits), electrical machinery, clothing, organic chemicals
Major imports
Machinery and machine parts, rough diamonds, chemicals and related products, crude petroleum and petroleum products, vehicles, military equipment
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, and United Kingdom
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, and Switzerland