| 1988 | 2018 | Change | |
| Population size | 4.4 MN | 8.95 MN | 103% |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $37 BN | $365 BN | 886% |
| US aid as a percentage of GDP | 7% | 1% | -86% |
| Gross Domestic Product per capita | $8,000 | $41,000 | 413% |
| Government debt as percent of GDP | 155% | 61% | -61% |
| Defense expenditures as percent of GDP | 17% | 5% | -71% |
| Foreign currency reserves | $6 BN | $115 BN | 1816% |
| Annual exports | $10 BN | $110 BN | 1000% |
| Energy from own independent sources | 4% | 73% | 1725% |
| Water from desalinated sources | 3% | 52% | 1633% |
| Employment of women | 36% | 60% | 67% |
| Number of students | 70,000 | 316,000 | 351% |
| Life expectancy | 75 years | 82 years | 9% |
| Tax burden | 45% | 30% | -33% |
| Number of vehicles per thousand residents | 175 | 398 | 127% |
| Average rooms per capita | 0.95 | 1.26 | 33% |
2. According to a July 18, 2019 Forbes Magazine article (Amir Mizroch): “Israel rises as an industrial technology power…. For a country that doesn’t make cars, Israel has one of the world’s hottest automotive technology industries, with globally recognized names like Mobileye (bought by Intel for $15.3BN), WAZE (acquired by Google for $966MN), Moovit (with over 480 million users), as well as up-and-coming companies like Argus and Innoviz. Almost every single global carmaker has an innovation center and research and development facility in Israel to engage with the sector’s +400 Israeli companies….
“Now entrepreneurs from another tech sector in Israel, that isn’t based on any meaningful physical manufacturing – Industrial IoT [the 4th Industrial Revolution enabled by cybersecurity, cloud computing, edge computing, mobile technologies, 3D printing, advance robotics, cognitive computing, etc.] – are hoping to replicate the success of their auto-tech compatriots….
“Venture-backed financing into Israel’s I4 industry [the 4th industrial revolution] grew 223% in four years, from $113MN in 2014 to $365MN in 2018. The 2018 financing figure accounts for 5% of global VC-backed financing into the I4 industry, according to Pitchbook. This might be a small percentage, but only the US and China are ahead of Israel, a nation of just 9 million people….
3. “Israel’s on course of further growth” was the title of a September, 2018 report on Israel by Pitchbook, a Seattle-based global leader of financial and marketing assessment: “The private market ecosystem in Israel has been maturing rapidly over the past few years, underscored by several big deals and the emergence of a technology cluster known as the Silicon Wadi. Despite its relatively small size and a population of around 8.9 million, Israel has become one of the most technologically influential hubs in the world due, in part, to a young and well-educated workforce and a favorable entrepreneurial environment….
“Israel has developed into a real draw for foreign investors. Its expertise in IT and cybersecurity, combined with its focus of healthcare-related trends, has been an integral part of building and maturing its evolving ecosystem. While there are undoubtedly headwinds ahead – be they geopolitical or stemming from a slowdown of the global economy – it is no stretch to see Israel’s private markets overall growth trajectory continuing.”