Israel has a strong economy, led by an export-oriented high-tech sector and a spirit of innovation that attracts interest from U.S. companies looking for investment, acquisition and partnership opportunities. The market is primed for imports from U.S. manufacturers of high-end equipment with technological advantages over competition and for U.S. components that can be integrated into Israeli systems, either for domestic use or for re-export.

In 2021, Israel imported $ 90.1 billion worth of merchandise from the world. The top five Israel imports from the world were: raw materials (43%%); consumer goods (26%); investments goods (15%); fuels (10%); and diamonds (6%).

U.S. exports of merchandise to Israel in 2021 accounted for 13% of Israel’s total imports of merchandise from the world. The top five U.S. exports to Israel in 2021 included: miscellaneous manufactured commodities (25.5%); computer & electronic products (23.2%); transportation equipment (10.7%); chemicals (8.6%); and machinery, except electrical (7.6%). 

Services represent a significant portion of Israel’s total foreign trade. In 2020, Israel imports of services totaled $24.8 billion, representing 26% of total trade in goods & services. The leading service imports to Israel from the world are transportation services ($5.8 billion); miscellaneous business services ($4.1 billion); advertising, market research and public opinion polling ($2 billion); travel services ($1.8 billion); and computer and related services ($1.5 billion).

The current scope of infrastructure investment in Israel is lower than comparable countries. To address this gap, the Israeli government is planning large scale infrastructure projects across almost all industries, and publishes annually the Infrastructure for Growth workplan, a national infrastructure strategy consolidating all projects valued at more than 100 million shekels (~$30 million) that are either in progress, budgeted or approved by the government. In 2021, the workplan included 240 projects, valued at ~$86 billion, across industries including: electricity infrastructure, renewable energy, water, transportation, and design and construction. A significant portion of the projects will be implemented via a public-private partnership model.