ARCHIVE // PS // 2017

West Bank

2017 Edition — disputed

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Communications
Broadcast media [time series]
the Palestinian Authority operates 1 TV and 1 radio station; about 20 private TV and 40 radio stations; both Jordanian TV and satellite TV are accessible (2013)
Internet country code [time series]
.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip
Internet users [time series]
total: 2.673 million (includes Gaza Strip) | percent of population: 57.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 112
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: continuing political and economic instability has impeded significant liberalization of the telecommunications industry | domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; PALTEL plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Jordan to route domestic mobile calls; the Palestinian JAWWAL company and WATANIYA PALESTINE provide cellular services | international: country code - 970; 1 international switch in Ramallah (2010)
Telephones - fixed lines [time series]
total subscriptions: 406,500 (includes Gaza Strip) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 104
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total: 3.531 million (includes Gaza Strip) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76 (includes Gaza Strip) (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Budget [time series]
revenues: $1.227 billion | expenditures: $1.124 billion | note: includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip (2016 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
1.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22
Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]
6.5% (31 December 2016 est.) | 6.8% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118
Current account balance [time series]
$-1.348 billion (2016 est.) | $-2.066 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136
Debt - external [time series]
$1.662 billion (31 March 2016 est.) | $1.467 billion (31 March 2015 est.) | note: data include the Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 153
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]
34.5 (2009 est.) | 38.7 (2007 est.) | note: includes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 98
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Israeli-Palestinian violence in 2015 exacerbated challenges to economic growth in the West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Territories. Increased security restrictions and political instability slowed economic activity, and Israel’s four-month withholding of taxes and other fees it collects on the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) behalf caused the PA to delay salary payments to its employees, which in turn had broader effects on business activity and consumer demand. | Longstanding Israeli closure policies continue to disrupt labor and trade flows and the territory’s industrial capacity, limit imports and exports, and constrain private sector development. The PA for the foreseeable future will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs and economic activity.
Exchange rates [time series]
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - | 3.8406 (2016 est.) | 3.841 (2015 est.) | 3.8869 (2014 est.) | 3.5779 (2013 est.) | 3.86 (2012 est.)
Exports [time series]
$1.827 billion (2016 est.) | $1.757 billion (2015 est.) | note: excludes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 141
Exports - commodities [time series]
stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$9.828 billion (2014 est.) | note: excludes Gaza Strip
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$21.22 billion (2014 est.) | $20.15 billion (2013 est.) | $19.95 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars; includes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 143
GDP - composition, by end use [time series]
household consumption: 92.2% | government consumption: 26.4% | investment in fixed capital: 22.5% | investment in inventories: -2.5% | exports of goods and services: 18.2% | imports of goods and services: -56.7% | note: excludes Gaza Strip (2016 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]
agriculture: 2.9% | industry: 20.9% | services: 62.7% | note: excludes Gaza Strip (2016 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$4,300 (2014 est.) | $4,400 (2013 est.) | $4,600 (2012 est.) | note: includes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 174
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
5.3% (2014 est.) | 1% (2013 est.) | 6% (2012 est.) | note: excludes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 32
Gross national saving [time series]
7.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | 9.5% of GDP (2013 est.) | 5% of GDP (2012 est.) | note: includes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 161
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: 3.2% | highest 10%: 28.2% | note: includes Gaza Strip (2009 est.)
Imports [time series]
$6.11 billion (2016 est.) | $6.057 billion (2015 est.) | note: data include the Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 114
Imports - commodities [time series]
food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
6.6% | note: includes Gaza Strip (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28
Industries [time series]
small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
-0.2% (2016 est.) | 1.4% (2015 est.) | note: excludes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 42
Labor force [time series]
1.202 million | note: excludes Gaza Strip (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 11.5% | industry: 34.4% | services: 54.1% | note: excludes Gaza Strip (2013 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]
$3.339 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $3.187 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.247 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94
Population below poverty line [time series]
18% (2011 est.)
Public debt [time series]
24.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | 23.8% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$312.8 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $583 million (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153
Stock of broad money [time series]
$2.538 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $2.273 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144
Stock of domestic credit [time series]
$1.712 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.418 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153
Stock of narrow money [time series]
$317 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $265.2 million (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
12.5% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205
Unemployment rate [time series]
26.9% (2016 est.) | 25.9% (2015 est.) | note: excludes Gaza Strip | country comparison to the world: 195
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]
3 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142
Crude oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211
Crude oil - imports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211
Crude oil - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 212
Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2017) | country comparison to the world: 212
Electricity - consumption [time series]
5.845 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2016) | country comparison to the world: 215
Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]
92.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213
Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]
9.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72
Electricity - imports [time series]
5.403 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]
152,000 kW | note: includes Gaza Strip (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170
Electricity - production [time series]
475 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168
Electricity access [time series]
population without electricity: 80,930 | electrification - total population: 98% | electrification - urban areas: 99% | electrification - rural areas: 93% | note: data for West Bank and Gaza Strip combined (2012)
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Natural gas - imports [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 209
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 212
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 207
Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]
19,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213
Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]
18,690 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 5,860 sq km | land: 5,640 sq km | water: 220 sq km | note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 | country comparison to the world: 172
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly smaller than Delaware
Climate [time series]
temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline [time series]
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation [time series]
mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m | highest point: Nabi Yunis 1,020 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment
Geographic coordinates [time series]
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Geography - note [time series]
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 380 Israeli civilian sites, including about 213 settlements and 132 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2017)
Irrigated land [time series]
240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2012)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 478 km | border countries (2): Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 43.3% | arable land 7.4%; permanent crops 11%; permanent pasture 24.9% | forest: 1.5% | other: 55.2% | note: includes Gaza Strip (2011 est.)
Location [time series]
Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel
Map references [time series]
Middle East
Maritime claims [time series]
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards [time series]
droughts
Natural resources [time series]
arable land
Population distribution (Population - distribution) [time series]
Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem
Terrain [time series]
mostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: West Bank | etymology: name refers to the location of the region - occupied and administered by Jordan after 1948 - that fell on the far side (west bank) of the Jordan River in relation to Jordan proper; the designation was retained following the 1967 Six-Day War and the subsequent changes in government
Introduction
Background [time series]
From the early 16th century through 1917, the area now known as the West Bank fell under Ottoman rule. Following World War I, the Allied powers (France, UK, Russia) allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. After World War II, the UN passed a resolution to establish two states within the Mandate, and designated a territory including what is now known as the West Bank as part of the proposed Arab state. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the area was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan). Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950. In June 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. With the exception of East Jerusalem, roughly 60% of the West Bank remains under Israeli military control. Israel transferred security and civilian responsibility for a number of Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under a series of agreements signed between 1993 and 1999, the so-called “Oslo Accords.” Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled after the outbreak of an intifada in mid-2000. In early 2003, the "Quartet" of the US, EU, UN, and Russia, presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005, calling for two states - Israel and a democratic Palestine. | Following Palestinian leader Yassir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political faction) as PA president, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers, dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, and redeployed its military from several West Bank settlements, but it continues to control maritime, airspace, and other access. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won the Palestinian Legislative Council election and took control of the PA government. Attempts to form a unity government failed, and violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters ensued, culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement details on governance and security. In an attempt to reenergize peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, France in June 2016 hosted a ministerial meeting that included participants from 29 countries, although not Israel or the Palestinians, to lay the groundwork for an envisioned "multilateral peace conference" later in the year.
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 36.5% (male 514,691/female 488,233) | 15-24 years: 21.37% (male 299,859/female 287,367) | 25-54 years: 34.1% (male 475,860/female 461,252) | 55-64 years: 4.54% (male 64,275/female 60,507) | 65 years and over: 3.49% (male 43,060/female 52,839) (2017 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
26.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
1.4% | note: estimate are for Gaza and the West Bank (2014)
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
57.2% (includes Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2014)
Death rate [time series]
3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 216
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: 75.8 | youth dependency ratio: 70.5 | elderly dependency ratio: 5.2 | potential support ratio: 19.1 | note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
Drinking water source [time series]
urban: 50.7% of population | rural: 81.5% of population | total: 58.4% of population | urban: 49.3% of population | rural: 18.5% of population | total: 41.6% of population | note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
1.3% of GDP | note: includes Gaza Strip (2015)
Ethnic groups [time series]
Palestinian Arab, Jewish, other
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Hospital bed density [time series]
1.2 beds/1,000 population (2010)
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 15.8 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105
Languages [time series]
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 75.2 years | male: 73.2 years | female: 77.4 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 110
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 96.9% | male: 98.6% | female: 95.2% | note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank (2016 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]
45 deaths/100,000 live births | note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 99
Median age [time series]
total: 21.1 years | male: 20.9 years | female: 21.3 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185
Nationality [time series]
noun: NA | adjective: NA
Net migration rate [time series]
-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
1.3 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
Population [time series]
2,747,943 (July 2017 est.) | note: approximately 391,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2016); approximately 201,200 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2014) | country comparison to the world: 141
Population distribution [time series]
Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem
Population growth rate [time series]
1.84% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56
Religions [time series]
Muslim 80-85% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12-14%, Christian 1-2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1% (2012 est.)
Sanitation facility access [time series]
urban: 93% of population | rural: 90.2% of population | total: 92.3% of population | urban: 7% of population | rural: 9.8% of population | total: 7.7% of population | note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]
total: 13 years | male: 12 years | female: 14 years | note: data represent Gaza and the West Bank (2015)
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female | total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
3.27 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 40.7% | male: 36.4% | female: 60.8% | note: includes Gaza Strip (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 75.7% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 2.75% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) | note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
the current status of the West Bank is subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 809,738 (Palestinian refugees) (2017) | IDPs: 193,000 (includes persons displaced within the Gaza strip due to the intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since June 2014 and other Palestinian IDPs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who fled as long ago as 1967, although confirmed cumulative data do not go back beyond 2006) (2016)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
2 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 203
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 2 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)
Heliports [time series]
1 (2013)
Roadways [time series]
total: 4,686 km | paved: 4,686 km | note: includes Gaza Strip (2010) | country comparison to the world: 153