Distillers Israel
A one-page guide to Israel for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Jerusalem (limited international recognition)
- Official languages
- Hebrew
- Currency
- New Israeli shekel (ILS)
- Time zone
- UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)
- Area
- 22,072 km²
People
- Population
- 10.1 million (2025)
- Population growth
- 1.2% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 91.6%
- Aged under 15
- 27.2%
- Aged 65 and over
- 12.7%
- Life expectancy
- 83.2 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$616.6 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$60,899 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 3.5% (2025)
- Inflation
- 3% (2025)
Climate
Mediterranean on the coast (cool rainy winters, long hot summers), semi-arid around Beersheba and the northern Negev, and desert in the southern Negev and Arabah with very hot dry summers. Hills can be windy and cold. Storage in the south and inland needs heat control; coastal sites also need humidity control.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Legal
- Legal drinking age
- 18 to buy; selling or serving alcohol to minors is prohibited and minors may not drink in public places
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 4.19 litres of pure alcohol (2024)
- Traditional drinks
- Arak (anise-flavoured spirit from grapes)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - Legal drinking age; Wikipedia - Drinking in Israel; Wikipedia - Israel; Goods Across Borders: Israel allowances (secondary; cites Israel Tax Authority); PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Israel - other taxes; ProWein, Dusseldorf (international wine and spirits fair); WHO GISAH country profile - Israel (2018); Tablet: Magic arak. Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.