Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Israel: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBA, ranked #15 of 195).
Israel is a parliamentary democracy in Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon. The country's capital is Jerusalem; it covers 21,937 sq km. Independence: 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration). 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. Population: 9.4 million (2024 estimate). Population growth: +1.59% per year. Median age: 30.2 years. Life expectancy: 83.1 years (2024 est.). Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language) Religion…
| 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% |
| Unemployment | 3.2% |
| 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 |
| 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) |
MBA · 69/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ 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.
Timber, Potash, Copper, Natural gas, Phosphates, Magnesium.
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 |
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
MBA · 69 Ranked #15 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Israel.
