Characteristics Israel West Bank and Gaza Strip Jordan
Population (in millions) 5.54 2.54 4.33
Literacy (percent) 95 84 87
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)a 85.7 2.98 20.9
Composition by Sector (percent)
Agriculture 3.5 33 6
Industry 22 25 28
Services 74.5 42 66
Per Capita (US$) 16,400 1,300 5,000
Distribution of Workforce (percent)
Agriculture 3.5 14.1 7.4
Industry 22.1 16.2 11.4
Commerce 13.9 18.2 10.5
Construction 6.5 19.1 10
Transport and Communication 6.3 4.8 8.7
Other Services 47.7 27.6 52

a GDP in billion USS; all numbers are for gross comparison only, are based on various sources and reporting years, and may not be fully consistent.

SOURCE: Source of data for Israel and Jordan is the CIA Factbook, 1997 (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/country-frame.html). Source of data for West Bank and Gaza Strip is the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (http://www.pcbs.org/english/sel_stat.htm) except for data on GDP composition by sector, which are from the CIA Factbook, 1997.

Summary from 1997

In Israel, more than 90 percent of the population lives in urban localities with the remainder living in rural communities.

In Jordan, approximately 78 percent live in urban areas and 22 percent in rural communities.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 29 percent live in urban areas, 65 percent live in rural communities, and 6 percent live in refugee camps. The Gaza Strip, where most of the inhabitants live in refugee camps, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an average population per square kilometer of nearly 2,200 people.


This site was created by Andrew Turner as part of the Maps, Timelines, and the Internet: The Quest for Peace in the Middle East course taught by Dr. Sandra Arlinghaus and Professor Emerita Ann E. Larimore.

See the other GEOMAT projects.