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ISRAEL at 50
A Statistical Glimpse*
Bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan in the east, Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea in the west, Israel is long and narrow, about 290 miles (470 km.) long and 85 miles (135 km.) at its widest point.
Geographical Regions
| Arid Zones |
45% |
| Plains and Valleys |
25% |
| Mountains |
16% |
| Rift Valley |
9% |
| Coastal Strip |
5% |
People
| |
1960s |
1970s |
1980s |
Today |
| Population |
2,150,000 |
3,022,000 |
3,922,000 |
5,759,000 |
| Jews in Israel, as a percentage of world Jewry |
13 |
20 |
25 |
36 |
Life expectancy
Females
Males |
-
- |
73.2
69.1 |
76.0
72.6 |
79.5
75.5 |
| Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) |
31.3 |
22.7 |
15.6 |
6.3 |
| School population |
578,000 |
824,000 |
1,201,000 |
1,766,500 |
| Percentage of the population with 13 years or more of formal schooling |
9 |
11.4 |
18.7 |
33.6 |
| Population by Religion
| Jews |
80.5% |
| Muslims |
14.6% |
| Christians |
3.2% |
| Druze & others |
1.7% | |
|
Population Distribution
| Cities |
91.0% |
| Villages |
3.7% |
| Moshavim |
3.1% |
| Kibbutzim |
2.2% | |
 |
Immigrants by Continent
1948-1996
| Europe |
58% |
| Africa |
18% |
| Asia |
15% |
| America & Oceania |
8% |
| Unknown |
1% |
|
|
Immigrants by Year of Immigration
| 1948-51 |
688,000 |
| 1952-59 |
272,000 |
| 1960-69 |
374,000 |
| 1970-79 |
346,000 |
| 1980-89 |
154,000 |
| 1990-96 |
757,000 | |
Economy
| |
1960s |
1970s |
1980s |
Today |
| Gross National Product* |
$2.5 billion |
$6.8 billion |
$19.1 billion |
$90.6 billion |
| Export of goods (in millions of dollars) |
217 |
768 |
5,511 |
20,500 |
thereof:
Industrial products
Agricultural products |
154
63 |
639
129 |
4,955
556 |
19,700
800 |
| Tourists arriving |
110,000 |
419,000 |
1,066,000 |
2,101,000 |
| Air passengers (annual) |
223,000 |
1,051,000 |
2,847,000 |
6,840,000 |
| Freight shipped by air (annual in tons) |
3,520 |
30,700 |
105,800 |
266,000 |
| Production of electricity (in millions of kilwatt/hours) |
1,869 |
5,700 |
11,070 |
32,466 |
| Private cars |
24,000 |
148,000 |
410,000 |
1,174,000 |
| Telephone subscribers |
68,000 |
369,000 |
860,000 |
2,539,000 |
($=$US)
* at 1995 prices
State Budget, 1997: $55.4 billion (November 1997 exchange rate)
Major Indicators by Economic Branch (percentage)
| Branch |
GNP |
Labor Force |
Exports* |
Investment |
| Industry
| 21 |
22 |
59 |
23 |
| Agriculture |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Construction |
8 |
10 |
- |
35 |
| Transportation & Communications |
9 |
6 |
5 |
22 |
| Commercial, Financial & Personal Services |
27 |
33 |
34 |
8 |
| Public Services |
33 |
26 |
- |
10 |
*includes goods and services
Source: Bank of Israel, Annual Report, 1996
Education and Culture
University Students
by Field of Study
(Total 105,000 students in 7 universities)
|
| Agriculture |
1% |
| Biological Sciences |
3% |
| Law |
5% |
| Medicine and Related Fields |
7% |
| Engineering and Architecture |
11% |
| Physics, Math and Computers |
11% |
| Humanities |
39% |
| Social Sciences |
32% |
Percentage of Adults
Attending Cultural Events*
|
| Theater |
10.5 |
| Sports Competition |
10.0 |
| Entertainment Show |
11.3 |
| Museum |
5.7 |
| Concert |
3.6 | * at least once a month
* Figures based on the Statistical Abstract of Israel, No. 48, 1997
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