Israel vs Palestine
Israel is 2.53 times larger than Palestine. Palestine would fit into Israel about 2.5 times.
IsraelPalestineIsrael moved onto Palestine · Equal-area projection
2.53×
Israel is 2.53× the area of Palestine.
 Israel |  Palestine | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIsrael: 2.53× the area | 20,770 km²#150 of 194 | 8,220 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIsrael: 1.87× the population | 10,122,800#96 of 194 · 2025 | 5,413,5962025 |
| DensityPalestine: 1.35× the density | 487 / km²#17 of 194 | 659 / km² |
| Urban populationIsrael: 1.05× the urban share | 92%#17 of 192 · 2025 | 87%2025 |
| Fertility ratePalestine: 1.13× the births per woman | 2.87 per woman#56 of 192 · 2024 | 3.25 per woman2024 |
| Population growthPalestine: 1.13 points higher | +1.20%#84 of 192 · 2025 | +2.33%2025 |
| Birth ratePalestine: 1.42× the birth rate | 18.6 per 1,000#80 of 192 · 2024 | 26.5 per 1,0002024 |
| Death ratePalestine: 1.11× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 5.9 per 1,0002024 |
| Children under 15Palestine: 10.4 points higher | 27.2%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 37.6%2025 |
| People over 65Israel: 8.8 points higher | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%2025 |
| Net migrationIsrael: 5.4 per 1,000 higher | +1.1 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2025 | −4.3 per 1,0002025 |
| Refugees abroadPalestine: 74.4× the refugees for its size | 0.12 per 1,000#113 of 190 · 2025 | 8.93 per 1,0002025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIsrael: 14.0 years longer | 83.2 years#13 of 192 · 2024 | 69.2 years2024 |
| Infant mortalityPalestine: 6.3× the infant mortality | 2.7 per 1,000 births#170 of 191 · 2024 | 17.0 per 1,000 births2024 |
| DoctorsIsrael: 1.75× the doctors per person | 3.80 per 1,000#36 of 178 · 2023 | 2.17 per 1,0002018 |
| University enrolmentIsrael: 1.27× the university enrolment | 56.3%#63 of 145 · 2024 | 44.5%2023 |
| Human Development IndexIsrael: 0.245 higher | 0.919#26 of 190 · 2023 | 0.6742023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIsrael: 17.3× the income per person | $56,180#17 of 185 · 2025 | $3,2502025 |
| GDPIsrael: 35.6× the economy | $610.78B2025 | $17.17B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Israel: 11.9× the output per person | $59,717#33 of 184 · 2025 | $5,0002025 |
| GDP growthPalestine: 1.4 points higher | +2.9%#104 of 187 · 2025 | +4.3%2025 |
| InflationPalestine: 6.8 points higher | +3.0%#90 of 176 · 2025 | +9.8%2025 |
| UnemploymentPalestine: 6.97× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 24.4%2022 |
| Extreme povertyPalestine: 5.25× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2022 | 2.1%2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Israel: 1.9 higher | 38.3#50 of 149 · 2022 | 36.42023 |
| Jobs in agriculturePalestine: 5.5 points higher | 0.8% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 6.3% of jobs2022 |
| Jobs in industryPalestine: 14.8 points higher | 15.1% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 | 29.9% of jobs2022 |
| Jobs in servicesIsrael: 20.3 points higher | 84.1% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 63.8% of jobs2022 |
| Foreign investmentIsrael: 2.4 points higher | 4.3% of GDP#43 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP2025 |
| ExportsIsrael: 6.4 points higher | 27.6% of GDP#107 of 168 · 2025 | 21.2% of GDP2025 |
| Military spending | 7.8% of GDP#3 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 88%#67 of 184 · 2024 | 87%2023 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIsrael: 2.3× the mobile subscriptions | 177 per 100#9 of 191 · 2024 | 77 per 1002023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIsrael: 3.78× the forest share | 7% of land#160 of 192 · 2024 | 2% of land2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 5.77 t a year#41 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energyPalestine: 9.2 points higher | 6.2%#155 of 190 · 2021 | 15.4%2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 21.9 µg/m³#71 of 191 · 2023 | 22.4 µg/m³2023 |
| Protected landIsrael: 17.6 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 10.0% of land2025 |
| Arable landIsrael: 4.9 points higher | 11.9% of land#85 of 190 · 2024 | 7.0% of land2024 |
| Water stressIsrael: 2.76× the water stress | 132.0%#11 of 176 · 2021 | 47.8%2021 |
| PrecipitationIsrael: 1.08× the rain and snow | 435 mm#148 of 180 · 2021 | 402 mm2021 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIsrael: 1.00 higher | −0.91#164 of 193 · 2025 | −1.912025 |
| Control of corruptionIsrael: 1.54 higher | +0.96#35 of 193 · 2025 | −0.582025 |
| Homicide rateIsrael: 2.67× the homicide rate | 1.6 per 100,000#85 of 146 · 2022 | 0.6 per 100,0002022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary democracy | — |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Jerusalem | East Jerusalem |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel (ILS) | Israeli new shekel (ILS) |
| Official languages | Hebrew | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +972 | +970 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Western Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Israel sits at about 31° N and is stretched to 1.37× its true area; Palestine at 32° N is stretched to 1.39×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Israel bigger than Palestine?
- Yes. Israel is 2.53 times larger than Palestine. Israel covers 20,770 km² and Palestine covers 8,220 km².
- How many times does Palestine fit into Israel?
- About 2.5 times: Israel has 2.53× the area of Palestine.
- Why do Israel and Palestine look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Israel is drawn about 1.37× its true area there and Palestine about 1.39×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Israel or Palestine?
- Israel: 10,122,800 people against 5,413,596. Density: Israel 487 per km², Palestine 659 per km².
- Which is richer, Israel or Palestine?
- By gross national income per person, Israel: $56,180 against $3,250 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 17.3× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Israel or Palestine?
- In Israel: life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years, against 69.2 — 14.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).