Economic Overviews

Economic Overview

Israel’s large concentration of talented and innovative people makes it an ideal place for investment. Characterized by groundbreaking entrepreneurship, Israel yields pioneering technologies, profitable business opportunities and high investment returns.

Israel: A Resilient Global Economy

Though it’s a small country with limited resources, Israel stands out as one of the world’s most competitive economies. The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Israel 2nd in the world for innovation in its Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017.

International Economic Agreements

Israel has an extensive international trade and economic cooperation network  with countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. It includes free trade agreements, R&D programs, and treaties for the avoidance of double taxation. Following a thorough unilateral trade liberalization program implemented in the early 1990’s to expose domestic industry to foreign competition, Israeli trade policy is aimed at continuing the expansion of its network of bilateral trade agreements.

Israel’s Competitive Edge

Leading research and development: Israel invests 4.5% of its GDP into R&D, the highest ratio of any country in the world (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2008).

A globally open economy: The business climate in Israel is rated 4th most positive towards globalization, making it a preferred choice of leading global players. After the United States, Israel has the largest number of companies listed on the NASDAQ of any country.

Venture Capital in Israel

With 100 active funds and over $10 billion under management, Israel’s venture capital industry thrives like in no other country. In 2004, foreign funds committed over 50% of the total dollars invested, demonstrating that Israel is an internationally sought after and sound investment.

OECD iLibrary

The OECD virtual library contains various publications and statistics on Israel.