Economic Overview of Israel
This page contains brief and general information on the Israeli economy, with links to more detailed publications. Some of the Israeli government publications in this page are not Ministry of Finance publications. For these, the relevant governmental source will be mentioned.
Introduction
Established in 1948, Israel is the world's only Jewish state, and the sole democracy in its vicinity. Israel is made up of more than seventy different nationalities and cultures and is home to religious and ethnic minority populations such as Muslim Arabs, Christians, and Druze. Jerusalem is the nation's capital, seat of government, and its largest city.
The Israeli economy is a diverse open market economy. Being a relatively young state in the modern era, Israel is recognized as a developed market by many major indices. Israel also became a member of the OECD in 2010.
Israel is also home to many international high tech companies, who understand its cultural and economic benefits, as well as its innovative spirit. Along with local Israeli firms who became an international success, both international and local firms make Israel worthy of its description as ‘The Silicon Wadi’.
Israel is known for its unique entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, and excels in:
- Research and development
- Human capital
- Entrepreneurship
- Venture capital availability
- Utility patents per million population
The Israeli economy is considered to be benefitting from several cultural characteristics of the Israeli society, such as:
- Challenging norms and ‘out of the box’ way of thinking
- Creativity at working under limited resources
- Direct, informal and task oriented approach
The Israeli economy also showed great resilience during the latest global economic crisis. In 2010, Israel was ranked 1st at the ‘Resilience of the Economy’ Index, as part of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report (WEF GCR).
Did you know Israel is?...
See what Israel excels in, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report (WEF GCR), and according to the International Institute for Management Development's World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD WCY).
The Israeli Economy: Fundamentals, Characteristics and Historic Overview
Learn about the history of the Israeli economy from this booklet, describing the fundamental characteristics of the Israeli economy. This booklet is designed for both economists and non-economists altogether. The overview goes briefly through the historic development of the Israeli economy, surveying its growth, population and society, industry and trade, public sector, inflation and currency.
Main Economic Entities in Israel
The below chart is designed to provide a general understanding of main Israeli government and non-government economic entities. It contains only main economic government ministries and authorities, as well as the most prominent economic non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Israel in Figures
Publication by: Central Bureau of Statistics
Get a statistical glimpse on Israel regarding climate, environment, population, vital statistics, households and families, society and welfare, education, health, labor, wages, national economy, government, balance of payments and foreign trade, construction, electricity and water, manufacturing, commerce and services, science and technology, transport and communications, tourism, and agriculture.
Facts about Israel
Publication by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Learn about the history, the state, the land, and the people of Israel, about health and social services, education, science and technology, economy and culture in Israel, and about Israel among
State of Israel Prospectus
Israel files an annual prospectus on form 18-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on a voluntary basis. The annual prospectus covers a wide range of topics though generally concentrating on economic data. The annual prospectus and any updates thereto are also publicly available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website.
Invest in Israel
Publication by: Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor
A brochure that focuses on the resources, record and business environment that make Israel a smart investment today and tomorrow.
Israel - Global Center for Breakthrough Innovation
Publication by: Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor
A brochure on Israeli innovation, celebrating Israel's success as an innovator of global breakthroughs by displaying those products and technologies that have played a revolutionary role in their respective industries, and emphasizing the human capital without which it would have been impossible.
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