Palestine

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

With its GDP of 19.006 million dollar, Afghanistan spends about 1.2% (228.4 million dollar) on its military branch. This ranks Afghanistan as the 119th largest military spender on a global scale. In relative terms, this means that Afghanistan represents 0.01% of the total global military expenditure.

Below, the absolute and relative military expenditure is displayed.

Palestine does not have an active Army or large military equipment. Instead, Palestine makes use of internal security force which is linked with the police.

Military membership

Palestine is a member of two international military organizations which makes it the 184th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Palestine has partaken in 13 international wars. These are:

Arab revolt in Palestine 1936-1939
Civil War in Mandatory Palestine 1947-1948
Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency 1949-1956
Reprisal operations 1951-1966
Six-Day War 1967-1967

War of Attrition 1967-1970
Black September in Jordan 1970-1971
Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990
South Lebanon conflict 1978-1978
Uganda–Tanzania War 1978-1979

Lebanon War 1981-1985
Second Intifada 2000-5005
Israel - Palestine conflict 2025

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Palestine is a member of nine international political organizations which makes it the 162nd most politically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
Arab League
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Elections in Palestine have not taken place regularly and with increasing tensions with Israel have become more authoritarian. Therefore, it is the 126th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Palestine take place in the form of a semi-presidential republic where the president is head of state as well as head of government. At the start of the 21st century, a political split between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip created two separate political entities which are represented by two different political parties and act independently of each other.

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Known for some of the most sacred religious sites as well as being a flashpoint for international conflict and tensions, the state of Palestine has had slow economic recovery since its independence. The area has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years and has formed civilizations for more than 5000 years. It has been conquered by the Persian Empire, the Greeks and the Romans before the first century. After becoming a part of the Byzantine Empire in the fourth century, the area was taken over by several Muslim empires from the seventh until the 11th century. From the 11th until its independence in 1947, the area has been contested by Muslims and Christians with the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire and Napoleon being the most significant events. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the territory came under the jurisdiction of the French and the British which placed Palestine under British jurisdiction until it became an independent state in 1947. Since then, Palestine has been at the epicentre of conflict between Arab states as well as between the Arab world and Israel. After several wars, Israel has limited the development of the state of Palestine for security reasons.

Located on the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, the state of Palestine is split into two areas with the state of Israel in between. The Western parts, called the Gaza Strip, is located on the Mediterranean Sea and mainly consists of flat terrain. The eastern part, called the West Bank, consists of a mountain range which descends into a low valley from the east to the west. Most of its terrain is covered by low-lying vegetation with the exception of its most western part which is covered by a desert. In total, Palestine borders, Egypt to its southwest, Jordan to its east and Israel along its center.

It currently has a surface area of 6050 square kilometers or 2332 square miles under its control. This makes it the 169th largest state in the world.

It has a total water surface area of 221 square kilometers or 85 square miles which is the 130th highest in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The majority of its water is derived from underground aquifers which are the main source of drinking water. However, due to an increase in population and a loss of territory, the Gaza Strip has become in dire need of potable water.

Because of its location on the Mediterranean Sea, Palestine enjoys a Mediterranean climate with moderate winters and hot summers. It has four seasons and has an average temperature of 18.2 degrees Celsius or 73.6 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it the 67th warmest state in the world.

During summer, between June to August, the average temperature is 24.9 degrees Celsius or 76.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

During winter, between February and March, the average temperature is 15.2 degrees Celsius or 59.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rainfall is unevenly spread out throughout the year and mainly occurs between November to April. On average, Palestine receives 31.3 centimetres or 11.9 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 178th highest in the world.

The capital of Palestine, Jerusalem, is home to 350,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Jerusalem is Jerusalem itself which is also the proclaimed capital of Israel. The capital that is furthest removed from Jerusalem is Nuku'alofa of Tonga with a distance of 16,775 kilometers or 10,424 miles.

As a result of strict regulation by Israel, Palestine has seen a limited economic growth along with high unemployment. Despite having some of the highest unemployment rates within the region, it has strong sectors in the clothing, furniture and cement industry. These products are mainly exported to Israel which is solely responsible for more than 80 percent of all exports. Most of its imports also comes from Israel which is responsible for 55 percent of all imports.

Palestine is a member of six international economic organizations which makes it the 188th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Customs Organization
Group of 77

Its GDP is US$15.3 billion which is the 124th highest in the world and represents 0.018 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is US$2.5 million per square kilometer or US$6.5 million per square mile which is the 42nd highest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is US$3076 which is the 131st highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power per capita is US$5032 which is the 144th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 4.9 million people, Palestine is the 119th most populous state in the world. The majority of its population consists of ethnic Arabs with Arab being its official language.

It has the 10th highest population density in the world with 2126 people per square mile or 819 people per square kilometer.

More than 3.8 million people have migrated to other states. This makes Palestine the 16th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 1.5 percent of total global migration. The main reason for migration has been the continuous conflict with Israel as well as limited economic development within the region. The majority of Palestinians have migrated to other Arab states with Jordan receiving two thirds of all Palestinian migrants.

Immigration to Palestine is represented by just over 200,000 people. This makes Palestine the 83rd state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.092 percent of total global immigration. The majority of emigrants are Palestinians that have re-migrated to Palestine with Jordan being the largest supplier.

Education has been seen as a priority by the Palestinian state as well as its citizens. Currently, Palestine has a literacy rate of 96.4 percent which is the 76th highest in the world.

The health care system in Palestine is considered to be underdeveloped and fragmented. Aside from its central healthcare providers, there are several nongovernmental organizations that also provide additional healthcare free of charge. The largest threats to health in Palestine are mainly related to poverty as well as its conflict with Israel. On average, the life expectancy is 74.6 years with women reaching 76.4 years and men reaching 72.9 years.

Christianity has been present in Palestine since its start during the first century.

Today, the Christian population represents two percent which makes Palestine the 176th most Christian state in the world.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is represented by 97.6 percent of the population which makes Palestine the 13th most Islamic state in the world. Islam arrived in Palestine during the Arab conquest in the seventh century and has remained Islamic to this day. The majority of the population adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam with a small minority adhering to the Ahmadiyya branch.

Buddhism has been present in Palestine for thousands of years with. Today, there are no official Buddhist living in Palestine.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Palestine.

Approximately 0.03 percent of the population adheres to Judaism. Despite the Arab Israeli conflict, there are a few thousand Jews living in Palestine.

Other religions are mainly adherents to the Baha'i faith but number in the hundreds.

Irreligion is represented by 0.03 percent of the population.