The 21st Century Israeli Economic Surge

by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

1. 2000 to 2019:

*Population – from 6.2 million to 9.1 million (47% growth);
*Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – from $132BN to $404BN (206% growth);
*GDP per capita – from $21,000 to $44,000 (110% growth);
*Export – from $47BN to $117BN (149% growth);
*Women in the workforce – from 48% to 60% (25% growth);
*University/college students – from 70,000 to 316,000 (351% growth);
*Incoming tourists – from 2.31 million to 4.87 million (108% growth);
*Water desalination – from 2% to 26% (1,300% growth);
*Foreign exchange reserves – from $24BN to $119BN (396% growth);
*Government debt per GDP – from 77% to 58.5% (24.7% reduction);
*US “aid” per GDP – from 2.3% to 1% (57% reduction);
*Defense budget per GDP – from 9% to 5% (44% reduction);
*Tax burden – from 43% to 32% (26% reduction);
*Number of vehicles per 1,000 people – from 277 to 396 (43% growth);
*Emigrants per 100,000 people – from 340 to 160 (51% reduction).

Source: Dr. Adam Reuter, the Chairman and Founder of “Financial Immunities,” Israel’s largest financial-risk management firm, and the co-author of Israel – Island of Success.

2. In 2010-2019, Israel’s hightech sector raised $39.1BN, mostly from foreign investors. In 2019, Israel’s technology sector raised $8.3BN, 30% over 2018, and compared to $2.1BN in 2010. In 2019, Artificial Intelligence firms raised $3.7BN (Globes Business Daily, January 9, 2020).

3. In 2019, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange featured more than 55% rate of return in the hightech sector, 70% in real estate and almost 30% in banking. In 2019, the total of hightech exits reached $10BN – twice as in 2018 – with a 30% rise in the number of transactions. The hightech sector rose 63% in 2019, twice as high as NASDAQ, and 200% since mid-2011.

The sustained growth of the hightech sector, during the recent 25 years, has been a byproduct of the unique interaction among Israel’s educational, (defense and commercial) industrial, military and academic/research infrastructures, bolstered by Israel’s brain-power and government assistance (Globes, January 20).

4. Insight Partners, the NY-based venture capital fund, acquired Israel’s Armis (cyber and IoT – interrelated computing devices) for $1.1BN. In October 2019, Insight set, in Israel, its first overseas office. Since 1995, Insight invested $700MN in Israeli hightech companies.

5. Koch Industries’ KDT Medical Investments increased its holding in Israel’s Insightec (medical equipment) by $100MN, in addition to a previous investment of $150MN (Globes January 7).