West Bank

total: 373,050 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2020 est.) note: includes the Gaza Strip

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

.ps; note - IANA has designated .ps for the West Bank, same as Gaza Strip

total: 3,938,199 (2021 est.) percent of population: 80% (2021 est.) note: includes the Gaza Strip

general assessment: most telecommunications companies in the West Bank and Gaza import directly from international vendors; the major challenge they face are Israeli restrictions on telecommunication imports that are listed as Dual Use products; during a visit to the West Bank in July 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Israeli and Palestinian teams will work together immediately to roll out an advanced infrastructure for 4G by the end of 2023; currently, only 2G service is available in Gaza (2022) domestic: fixed-line 9 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscriptions 78 per 100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2021) international: country code 970 or 972; 1 international switch in Ramallah

total subscriptions: 485,829 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2021 est.) note : includes Gaza Strip

total subscriptions: 4,052,966 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 78 (2021 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, poultry, milk, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, gourds

revenues: $3.803 billion (2020 est.) expenditures: $5.002 billion (2020 est.) note: includes Palestinian Authority expenditures in the Gaza Strip

0.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

-$1.486 billion (2021 est.) -$1.903 billion (2020 est.) -$1.779 billion (2019 est.)

$1.662 billion (31 March 2016 est.) $1.467 billion (31 March 2015 est.) note: data include the Gaza Strip

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.606 (2017 est.) 3.841 (2016 est.) 3.841 (2015 est.) 3.8869 (2014 est.) 3.5779 (2013 est.)

$3.18 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip $2.385 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip $2.659 billion (2019 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

building stone, scrap iron, plastic lids, furniture, seating, dates, olive oil (2021) note: data includes both Gaza Strip and West Bank export commodities

calendar year

$9.828 billion (2014 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

household consumption: 91.3% (2017 est.) government consumption: 26.7% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 23% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 20% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -61% (2017 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

agriculture: 2.9% (2017 est.) industry: 19.5% (2017 est.) services: 77.6% (2017 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

33.7 (2016 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 28.2% (2009 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

$10.245 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip $8.065 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars and includes Gaza Strip $9.161 billion (2019 est.) note: data include the Gaza Strip

food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals

6.22% (2021 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs

1.24% (2021 est.) -0.74% (2020 est.) 1.58% (2019 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

1.249 million (2021 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

agriculture: 11.5% industry: 34.4% services: 54.1% (2013 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

18% (2011 est.)

24.4% of GDP (2014 est.) 23.8% of GDP (2013 est.)

$27.779 billion (2021 est.) $25.95 billion (2020 est.) $29.262 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip

7.05% (2021 est.) -11.32% (2020 est.) 1.36% (2019 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

$5,600 (2021 est.) $5,400 (2020 est.) $6,200 (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars and includes Gaza Strip

$872.541 million (31 December 2021 est.) $697.075 million (31 December 2020 est.) $658.352 million (31 December 2019 est.)

18.78% (of GDP) (2018 est.)

24.9% (2021 est.) 25.89% (2020 est.) 25.34% (2019 est.) note: excludes Gaza Strip

total: 39.6% (2021 est.) male: 33.7% female: 69% note: includes Gaza Strip

3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank from petroleum and other liquids: 3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

installed generating capacity: 215,000 kW (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank consumption: 5,702,816,000 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank imports: 5.9 billion kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank transmission/distribution losses: 847 million kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

electrification - total population: 100% (2021) note: data for West Bank and Gaza Strip combined

fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

13.604 million Btu/person (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank refined petroleum consumption: 24,600 bbl/day (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

19 bbl/day (2015 est.)

22,740 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 30.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 3.23 megatons (2016 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment

agricultural land: 43.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.) forest: 1.5% (2018 est.) other: 55.2% (2018 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

salt water lake(s): Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and Israel) - 1,020 sq km note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

840 million cubic meters (2020 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

municipal: 200 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 220 million cubic meters (2020 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.387 million tons (2016 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 6,935 tons (2013 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 0.5% (2013 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

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

slightly smaller than Delaware

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

0 km (landlocked)

highest point: Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m

32 00 N, 35 15 E

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)

(2013) 151 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip

total: 478 km border countries (2): Israel 330 km; Jordan 148 km

agricultural land: 43.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.) forest: 1.5% (2018 est.) other: 55.2% (2018 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip

Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel

salt water lake(s): Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and Israel) - 1,020 sq km note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level

Middle East

none (landlocked)

droughts

arable land

the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem

mostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east

conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank etymology: name refers to the location of the region of the British Mandate of Palestine that was occupied and administered by Jordan in 1948, as it is located 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 administration

The landlocked West Bank - the larger of the two Palestinian territories - is home to some three million Palestinians. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the West Bank has been dominated by many different peoples throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), which annexed the West Bank in 1950; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo Accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. In addition to establishing the PA as an interim government, the Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three areas with one fully managed by the PA, another fully administered by Israel, and a third with shared control until a permanent agreement could be reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began across the Palestinian territories, and in 2001 negotiations for a permanent agreement between the PLO and Israel on final status issues stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area. The PA last held national elections in 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS s violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In December 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In recent years, Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements. Since 1994, the PA has administered parts of the West Bank under its control, mainly the major Palestinian population centers and areas immediately surrounding them. Roughly 60% of the West Bank remains under full Israeli civil and military control, impeding movement of people and goods through the territory.

the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are responsible for the West Bank, but PA security forces were granted security control of 17.5% (called Area A) under the 1993 Oslo accords; the PA has administrative control over Area B (about 22% of the West Bank), but security control is shared with Israeli authorities; Israel maintains all administrative and security control of Area C, which comprises about 61% of the West Bank (2023)

per the Oslo Accords, the PA is not permitted a conventional military but maintains security and police forces; PA security personnel have operated almost exclusively in the West Bank since HAMAS seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007; PA forces include National Security Forces, Presidential Guard, Civil Police, Civil Defense, Preventive Security Organization, the General Intelligence Organization, and the Military Intelligence Organization (2023) note: the National Security Forces conduct gendarmerie-style security operations in circumstances that exceed the capabilities of the Civil Police; it is the largest branch of the PA security services and acts as the Palestinian army; the Presidential Guard protects facilities and provides dignitary protection; the Preventive Security Organization is responsible for internal intelligence gathering and investigations related to internal security cases, including political dissent

the PA Security Forces have approximately 28,000 active personnel (2023)

the security services are armed mostly with small arms and light weapons; in recent years, they have received small amounts of equipment from Jordan, Russia, and the US (2023)

not available

not available

0-14 years: 34.07% (male 533,142/female 506,268) 15-64 years: 61.94% (male 960,379/female 929,324) 65 years and over: 3.99% (2023 est.) (male 57,449/female 64,198)

28.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

women married by age 15: 0.7% women married by age 18: 13.4% (2020 est.) note: includes both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

2.1% (2019/20) note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

57.3% (2019/20) note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

NA

62.4% (2023 est.) note: data includes Gaza and the West Bank

3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

total dependency ratio: 74.3 youth dependency ratio: 68.2 elderly dependency ratio: 6.1 potential support ratio: 16.5 (2021 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

improved: urban: 98.9% of population rural: 99% of population total: 98.9% of population unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population rural: 1% of population total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

5.3% of GDP (2018 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Palestinian Arab, Jewish, other

1.72 (2023 est.)

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)

total: 16.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.) male: 18.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

total population: 75.9 years (2023 est.) male: 73.7 years female: 78.2 years

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.5% male: 98.8% female: 96.2% (2020) note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank

note: on 31 August 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the West Bank is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

20 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

total: 21.7 years (2023 est.) male: 21.5 years female: 21.9 years

noun: NA adjective: NA

-3.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

3.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

3,176,549 (2023 est.) note: approximately 468,300 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2022); approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021)

the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem

2.1% (2023 est.)

Muslim 80-85% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12-14%, Christian 1-2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified 1% (2012 est.)

improved: urban: 99.9% of population rural: 98.6% of population total: 99.6% of population unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population rural: 1.4% of population total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.) note: note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 14 years (2021) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

3.54 children born/woman (2023 est.)

urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

total: 39.6% (2021 est.) male: 33.7% female: 69% note: includes Gaza Strip

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Kahane Chai; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

West Bank-Israel : West Bank is Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; in 2002, Israel began construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; as of mid-2020, plans were to continue barrier construction

refugees (country of origin): 901,000 (Palestinian refugees) (2022) IDPs: 12,000 (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) (2022); note - data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank

2 (2021)

2 note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the typical length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

1 (2021)

total: 4,686 km (2010) paved: 4,686 km (2010) note: includes Gaza Strip