Israel’s water supply has faced a lot of challenges since the country’s establishment in 1948.
Fanack Water reports that apart from the naturally arid climate, consecutive years of drought and rapid population growth, rising living standards and political tensions in the region have put great pressure on the country’s water resources.
The main freshwater resources in Israel are the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias and Lake Kinneret), the Jordan River, the Coastal Aquifer and the Mountain Aquifer. Virtually all of Israel’s freshwater resources are shared.
Israel has developed innovative solutions to address its water challenges. The most significant of these are desalination and wastewater reuse. The production of Israel’s five main desalination plants was estimated at 585 million cubic metres per year (MCM/yr) in 2021, equating to 50% of Israel’s potable water. This amount is set to increase significantly as water demand rises. Treated wastewater is primarily used to meet the high water demand in the agricultural sector. Production of this alternative source of water is also expected to increase as the population grows.
Located in the Middle East, Israel is included in the Mediterranean Basin. It covers a total area of 20,770 square kilometres, of which 2.71% is water. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip). To the west lies the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel shares its maritime border with Cyprus. Israel was established on the territory of Mandatory Palestine. Although Jerusalem is the country’s capital, Tel Aviv is its economic and technological centre.
Israel lies in a subtropical region. Its coastal and northern areas have a Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The rainy winter season lasts from November to May, with the dry summer season occupying the remaining six months. The north generally experiences dry summers and moderately cold winters, while the Jordan Valley and Arava Valley have hot, dry summers and pleasant winters. At the same time, the coast is humid in the summer with mild winters, and the southern deserts are known for their low precipitation and high summer temperatures. Annual average precipitation is estimated at around 800 millimetres (mm) in the north, 400 mm in the centre and 20 mm around Eilat in the far south.
Israel’s population is around 9.517,181 in 2025. Almost 74% of them identify as Jewish. About 21.1 % are Palestinian citizens of Israel, also referred to as Israeli Arabs. The population is projected to be about 12.7 million in 2050. Israel has the fastest population growth rate among developed countries and one of the highest population densities in the world.
Israel’s economy is a diverse market economy in which the government has a significant share, alongside a thriving private sector. Major industries include technology, defence, tourism, chemicals, medical equipment and diamonds.
The country has relatively few natural resources and therefore depends on imports of products and raw materials such as oil, coal and food. This dependence was reduced in 2009 following the discovery of large natural gas reserves off the Mediterranean coast.
The Israeli economy has experienced many ups and downs, including hyperinflation, the stock market crisis and the Arab boycott. It has also had to absorb waves of Jewish immigrants (Olim) and deal with the economic consequences of several wars and high defence spending. Despite this, Israel has achieved a high level of economic development. Foreign investors in world markets, world banks and credit rating agencies express great confidence in the resilience of the Israeli economy. Israel ranks 35th in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index. It is also one of the OECD countries with the highest income equality.
