3.88 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun : NA
adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and
other 8%

Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Literacy: NA

@West Bank:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank

Data code: WE

Economy

Economy - overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been
hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. Industries using
advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been
discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli
policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing,
not productive assets that would enable local Palestinian firms to
compete with Israeli industry. GDP has been substantially supplemented
by remittances of workers employed in Israel. Such transfers from the
Persian Gulf states dropped after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have
returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export
revenues have dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and
the Gulf states. An estimated 147,000 people were in refugee camps in
1996.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -1% to -2% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 11% (1995 est.)

Labor force: NA
by occupation: construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%,
commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991)
note: excluding Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate: 35% to 40% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $684 million
expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996)
note : includes Gaza Strip

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;
the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in
the settlements and industrial centers

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: NA kW
note: most electricity impo