Israel is the world's only Jewish state and is one of the world's smallest and least populated developed nations. Israeli territory spans only about 8,000 sq. miles. This is 1/7th the size of Arkansas and only 2 1/2 times the size of Rhode Island. Israel has a population of approximately 6 million - which is less than 1/1,000th the total global population. Despite her small size and population, Israel has achieved the following remarkable achievements in academics, economics, commerce, medicine, and technology:
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees per capita in the world
(24% of Israelis have four-year university degrees and 12% of Israelis hold advanced degrees)
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000.
(Compared to 85 in the US, over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany)
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin.
(109 per 10,000 people)
Israel has the highest per capita rate of patents filed of any nation in the world.
80% of biotechnology patents in the ENTIRE world come from Israel.
Israel has the highest number of Nobel Prizes per capita of any nation in the world by a large margin.
(4 Israelis have won the Nobel prize in the past four years)
An Israeli doctor headed the Merck team that developed a vaccine against cervical cancer in 2006.
Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world.
(In absolute terms, Israel has the second largest rate of startup companies in the world)
Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the US.
Outside the US and Canada, Israel has the most NASDAQ listed companies.
In the 2000 United Nations economic census, Israel had the highest average living standards
in all of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
(Their per capita income exceeded most of Europe, including that of the UK)
Israel has the highest percentage of home computers per capita in the world.
Intel's largest R&D facility is located in Haifa, Israel.
(This is where the Intel MMX chip and the Intel Centrino processor for Laptops were developed)
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
Israel has the highest number cell phones per capita of any nation in the world.
(1.2 cell phones per person)
Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology was developed in Israel.
IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
The first PC anti-virus software was developed in Israel in 1979.
Israel has the world's second highest per capita rate of new books published.
Israel has more museums per capita than any other country in the world.
Quick Facts courtesy of:
Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.
The Canadian Technion Society
& CIA World Factbook - Israel
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