Israel — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Israel: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Israel is in Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon. It covers 21,937 sq km. Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley. Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas.
| Capital | Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,402,617 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $472.177 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $47,300 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 0.9% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 3.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 59.6% of GDP (2019 est.) |
| Exports | $153.248 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $140.438 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 83.1 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 30.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 92.9% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary democracy |
| Independence | 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| Languages | Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language) |
Israel’s GDP is $472.177 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $540.38 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 0.9% (2024 est.). See where Israel ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum -4 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The stalled Gaza ceasefire kept weighing: strikes continued, no reconstruction, Hamas not disarmed — while Netanyahu faced delegate walkouts at the UN General Assembly.
With the October 27 election looming as a referendum on the war, the quarter closed on uncertainty and drift. Momentum negative.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 3.1%; a current-account surplus of $17 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
- What drags it down: only 13% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Timber, Potash, Copper, Natural gas, Phosphates, Magnesium.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | 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.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 112.437 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 277.8 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 80.6 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 29,591 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Solar 12.6%, Wind 0.5%, Hydro 0.0% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 13.2% (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $153.248 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $140.438 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $12.8 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Benjamin Netanyahu — Prime Minister. President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
Israel maintains 80 embassies and 21 consulates abroad, hosts 90 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to EU/NATO Brussels, UN Geneva, UN New York, UN Vienna, OECD Paris. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 80 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 21 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 90 |
| Multilateral missions | EU/NATO Brussels, UN Geneva, UN New York, UN Vienna, OECD Paris |
Source: Outbound: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (via Wikipedia 'List of countries by number of diplomatic missions'). Hosted: Grokipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Israel' (~90 foreign embassies in Tel Aviv District, Oct 2025); Alchetron Apr 2026 ('over 86 embassies in Tel Aviv metro'). Multilateral: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Israel' (crawled 2026-10-02).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 273 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 40 + 13 heliports (registration prefix 4X) |
| Major seaports | Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat, Hadera, Haifa |
| Railways | 1497 km |
Major airports
Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) — Tel Aviv; Ramon International Airport (ETM) — Eilat; Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport (HFA) — Haifa.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2022 — legislative; 2022-11-01; winner: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud); right-wing bloc 64/120; government sworn in 2022-12-29 Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2026 — general (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Israel.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Israel — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Israel's power score?
Israel has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.