Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Italy 14 times
Israel: 22,070 km² (2024) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 28 times as long as Israel’s
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 2,512 m above Israel’s
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 24% of Israel
Israel: 23.8% (2024) · Italy: 43.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 5.8 times as many people as Israel
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 2.3 times as densely populated as Italy
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Israel are 1.6 cm taller than in Italy
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Israel and Italy are practically level
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 18 years older than in Israel
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.7 more children on average than in Italy
Israel: 2.87 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 13% in Israel
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Italy hosts 26 times as many refugees per resident as Israel
Israel: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Italy 3.4
Israel: 5.9 (2026) · Italy: 3.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, Italy 1
Israel: 2 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 4.2 times the size of Israel’s
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 5% more per person than Israel
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in Italy (Gini 4 points higher)
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Italy: 34.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.9% of people in Italy live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.4% in Israel
Israel: 0.4% (2022) · Italy: 0.9% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 3.5% in Israel
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 7.8% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%
Israel: 7.8% (2025) · Italy: 1.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Israel’s 23%
Israel: 23.2% (2024) · Italy: 25.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Italy’s
Israel: 101% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 16% more on health per person than Italy
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 0.75 years longer than in Israel
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Israel is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in Italy
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 10% more doctors per person than Israel
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Israel has 3% more hospital beds per person than Italy
Israel: 3.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Israel is 21% higher than in Italy
Israel: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 18% in Italy
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 21% in Israel
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 0.61 points higher than in Italy
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Israel
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 53% more meat per person than Italy
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel and Italy are practically level
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 189 more hours a year than in Italy
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 2.7 years longer than in Italy
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019)
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 53 more World Heritage sites than Israel (62 against 9)
Israel: 9 (2026) · Italy: 62 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Israel 20
Israel: 20 (2026 edition) · Italy: 829 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 88% in Israel
Israel: 88% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Israel is 43% faster than in Italy
Israel: 392 Mbps (2026) · Italy: 274 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and Italy are practically level
Israel: 100% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 70% in Italy
Israel: 92% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133
Israel: 177 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 10 times as long as Israel’s
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Israel fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Italy, but only 6.8% of Israel
Israel: 6.8% (2024) · Italy: 31.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Israel emits 10% more CO₂ than someone in Italy
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 34% more fine dust than in Italy
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in Italy
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Italy are 25% deadlier than in Israel
Israel: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 7.2 °C warmer than Italy
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 5 times as much rain as Israel
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than Italy?
Italy is larger. Israel fits inside Italy 14 times.
Which has more people, Israel or Italy?
Italy has 5.8 times as many people as Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or Italy?
People in Italy live 0.75 years longer than in Israel. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in Israel or Italy?
Men in Israel are 1.6 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
