01Key Takeaways
- The State of Palestine imported $8.27 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 9.0% from $9.09 billion in 2022, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led every import category by a wide margin, worth $1.75 billion, or 21.2% of the total.
- Israel was by far the largest import partner, supplying 53.6% of imports, worth $4.44 billion.
- The top three import partners together accounted for 69.1% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $6.6B | $6.1B | $7.8B | $9.1B | $8.3B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Israel | $4.4B | 53.6% |
| 2 | China | $702.0M | 8.5% |
| 3 | Turkey | $575.6M | 7.0% |
| 4 | Jordan | $374.4M | 4.5% |
| 5 | Germany | $211.4M | 2.6% |
| 6 | Switzerland | $196.2M | 2.4% |
| 7 | Egypt | $165.4M | 2.0% |
| 8 | India | $144.2M | 1.7% |
| 9 | Italy | $130.5M | 1.6% |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia | $102.5M | 1.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $1.8B | 21.2% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $436.9M | 5.3% |
| 3 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $412.8M | 5.0% |
| 4 | Residues and Waste from the Food Industries; Prepared Animal Fodder | $396.5M | 4.8% |
| 5 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $327.6M | 4.0% |
| 6 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $291.0M | 3.5% |
| 7 | Iron and Steel | $290.8M | 3.5% |
| 8 | Live Animals | $276.5M | 3.3% |
| 9 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $274.5M | 3.3% |
| 10 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $240.0M | 2.9% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Pulled Back After Two Years of Growth
The State of Palestine imported $8.27 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 9.0% from $9.09 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023.
Import value stood at $6.61 billion in 2019. It fell to $6.06 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window. It then climbed for two consecutive years in a row, reaching $7.83 billion in 2021 and $9.09 billion in 2022, the high point of this five-year window, before easing back to $8.27 billion in 2023.
This dataset does not explain the 2020 drop, the two-year climb that followed, or the 2023 pullback. Import value in 2023 nonetheless remained well above every year in this window before 2022. A decline of 9.0%, arriving right after the fastest growth stretch in this five-year period, still leaves import value well above where it stood in 2019 and 2020. The five-year pattern traces a shallow dip, a steep two-year climb, and then a single pullback, rather than a steady move in one direction. The scale of that earlier climb makes the 2023 pullback look more like a correction than the start of a longer decline. A single year of decline after two years of growth is a smaller shift than the back-to-back declines seen on the import side of trade in some other economies covered in this dataset.
Mineral Fuels Dominate an Import List Reflecting Energy Dependence
Mineral fuels led every import category in 2023, worth $1.75 billion, or 21.2% of the total, by far the largest single category on this list. Vehicles ranked second at 5.3%, worth $436.94 million. Electrical machinery and equipment followed at 5.0%, worth $412.79 million.
Food industries residues and prepared animal fodder rounded out a top four at 4.8%, worth $396.54 million. Nuclear reactors, boilers and machinery added 4.0%, worth $327.56 million. Plastics contributed 3.5% ($291.01 million), and iron and steel added a nearly identical 3.5% ($290.84 million), a close pair in the middle of this list.
Live animals contributed 3.3% ($276.51 million), and salt, sulphur and earths added a nearly identical 3.3% ($274.47 million). Beverages, spirits and vinegar closed out the top ten at 2.9%, worth $240.02 million, the smallest share among the ten categories listed here. Mineral fuels alone are worth roughly four times the second-place category. That gap describes an import list shaped overwhelmingly by a single structural need, a pattern consistent with the energy dependence seen elsewhere in this dataset for economies with limited domestic fuel production. Beyond fuel, the rest of the list spreads fairly evenly across vehicles, machinery, food and basic materials, with no second category coming close to matching the top spot.
Israel Supplies More Than Half of All Imports
Israel was by far the State of Palestine's largest import partner in 2023, taking 53.6% of imports, worth $4.44 billion. Trade between the West Bank and Gaza and Israel operates under a customs union arrangement with no tariffs between the two, administered by Israel. That arrangement helps explain why a single supplier accounts for such a large share of imports here, mirroring the pattern already seen on the export side of trade for this economy.
China ranked a distant second at 8.5%, worth $701.96 million. Turkey followed at 7.0%, worth $575.62 million. Together, these top three partners accounted for 69.1% of total import value, a lower concentration than the export side of trade for this economy, but still dominated by the same single neighboring partner.
Jordan contributed 4.5% ($374.44 million), and Germany added 2.6% ($211.37 million). Switzerland followed at 2.4% ($196.19 million), and Egypt added 2.0% ($165.37 million).
India contributed 1.7% ($144.23 million), and Italy added 1.6% ($130.51 million). Saudi Arabia closed out the top ten at 1.2%, worth $102.54 million, the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. Every partner outside the top three holds a share below 5%, a steep drop-off once the list moves past Israel, China and Türkiye.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile dominated by a single energy category. That profile is sourced from a partner base still led by a single neighboring market in Israel under the region's customs arrangement, with China and Türkiye supplying a smaller but still meaningful share.