(Israel Hayom) Dror Eydar - Where were we a little over 70 years ago, and where are we now? From a scattered, lowly people that was trampled by anyone who passed by and a third of whom went up as smoke in the crematoria, we rose from the ashes and bloomed into a strong, proud nation that is being courted by many countries. 30 years ago in 1988, 4.44 million people were living in Israel, compared to 8.96 million last year. 30 years ago, the gross domestic product stood at $44 billion. Now it is more than 700% higher, standing at over $355 billion. The per capita GDP has increased from $10,000 30 years ago to over $38,000 last year. Israel's foreign currency reserves were $4 billion 30 years ago, and now they total $115 billion. In 1988, annual inflation stood at 16%, compared to only 1% in 2018. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Israeli economy has grown by 90%, more than double the average growth among OECD nations. Exports grew from $10 billion in 1988 to $107 billion in 2018. The discovery of offshore natural gas reserves provides the resources for the production of 73% of the country's electricity. Israel is ranked third in the world (after Japan and Canada) in the number of college-educated citizens per capita. R&D comprises a bigger percent of Israel's GDP than any other country in the world. The writer is Israel's next ambassador to Italy.
2019-05-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive