GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Israel


Israel Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Israel; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankBank of Israel
International ReservesUS$ 76.813 billion (Source: IMF; Data updated: November 2011)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 234.908 billion (2010 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)230.455 billion of International dollars (2010 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
9.1%-0.1%-0.6%1.5%5.1%4.9%5.7%5.3%
2008200920102011*
4.2%0.8%4.6%3.8%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 30,934 (2010 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$30,347 International Dollars (2010 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
0.24%0.26%0.31%0.3%0.29%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 2.5% 
  • industry: 31.2% 
  • services: 64.7% (2011 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)4.86% (2008)

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
4.6%(2008)3.3%2.7%3%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
6.1%7.6%6.7%(2009)5.5%

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
77.6%75.4%80.4%77.9%73%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
-0.2%-1.9%-5.4%-4.2%-3.3%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: A/Stable/A-1

Moody's rating: A1

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
US$236.361 billionUS$134.463 billionUS$182.095 billion
Largest companies in IsraelTeva Pharmaceutical Inds (Pharmaceuticals), Bank Leumi (Major Banks), Bank Hapoalim (Major Banks), Israel Corp (Investment Services), Delek Group (Oil Services & Equipment), Check Point Software (Computer Services)
(2011)
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ 7.7 billion (2010 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP3.3% of GDP (2010 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

34.7% (2009)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.38%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.67%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsUS$54.31 billion f.o.b. (2010 estimate)
Export commoditiesmachinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Total importsUS$62.52 billion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Import commoditiesraw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods
Exports - major partnersUS 35%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 5.8% (2007)
Imports - major partnersUS 13.9%, Belgium 7.9%, Germany 6.2%, China 6.1%, Switzerland 5.1%, UK 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2007)
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$10,875 millionUS$4,438 million(2009)US$5,152 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
US$7,210 millionUS$1,695 millionUS$7,960 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
US$11,316 millionUS$167 million(2009)US$6,453 million(2009)US$835 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc, United States, $8.8 billion

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Ratiopharm International GmbH, Germany, $4.9 billion
(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 29 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 36 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 147 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 82 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 6 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 5 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 10 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 96 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		22

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 43 Score: 68.5 (Moderately Free) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC+2
Total area 22,072 km2 (2006)
CapitalJerusalem (2009)
Currencynew Israeli shekels (ILS) (2009)
Government typeparliamentary democracy (2009)
LanguagesHebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
ReligionsJewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
3.76 million4.51 million6.08 million7.43 million8.29 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
76.8%88.6%91.4%91.7%
Population median age29.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate1.8% (2009)
Life expectancy81 years (2007)
Adult literacyN/A
% of population living on less than $2 a dayN/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

39.2 (2001)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:1
Civil Liberties:2 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

177.28% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population67.2% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

N/A

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

5.3414 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST TRADE FINANCE BANKS & PROVIDERS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Leumi (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Leumi (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Hapoalim (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Hapoalim (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST DEVELOPED MARKET BANKS

2012:
  • Bank Hapoalim (National, 2012)
2011:
  • Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (National, 2011)
2010:
  • Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (National, 2010)
2009:
  • Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (Asia Pacific and Middle East, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks Bank Leumi (National, 2011)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks Citi (National, 2011)
  • REGIONAL SUB-CATEGORY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks / Best Online Deposit, Credit and Investment Product Offerings Bank Leumi (Middle East/Africa, 2011)
  • REGIONAL SUB-CATEGORY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks / Best Web Site Design Bank Leumi (Middle East/Africa, 2011)
  • REGIONAL SUB-CATEGORY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks / Best in Mobile Banking Bank Hapoalim (Middle East/Africa, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks Bank Leumi (National, 2010)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks Citi (National, 2010)
2009:
  • REGIONAL SUB-CATEGORY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks / Best Investment Management Services Bank Hapoalim (Middle East/Africa, 2009)
  • REGIONAL SUB-CATEGORY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks / Best Web Site Design Bank Hapoalim (Middle East/Africa, 2009)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks Bank Hapoalim (National, 2009)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks Bank Hapoalim (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST SUB CUSTODIANS

2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Leumi (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Mizrahi Tefahot (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Mizrahi Tefahot (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST INVESTMENT BANKS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC Bank (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC Bank (National, 2010)

CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARD

2011:
2010:
2009:

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Leumi (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Hapoalim (National, 2011)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Leumi (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Hapoalim (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Hapoalim (National, 2009)
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE