Statistical Yearbook of Palestine 2011
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22.1
Exports in Goods
•
The total value of exports in 2009 was US$ 518.4 million, a decrease of 7.2%
compared to 2008. The total value of exports in 2008 was US$558.4 million.
22.2
Trade Balance
•
The trade balance deficit totaled US$3,082.4 million in goods in 2009, an increase of
6.0%
compared to 2008.
For more details on registered foreign trade, see the tables in chapter 1.22 of the
Arabic section, pages 201-206.
23.
Balance of Payments
23.1
Current Account
•
The current account deficit was US$736.8 million (10.9% of the GDP at current
prices), compared with a surplus of US$764.4 million in 2008. The current account
deficit was caused mainly by the deficit in the balance of trade of goods, which was
US$3,502.0 million (51.8% of GDP at current prices). This deficit increased by
8.3%
compared with 2008.
•
The deficit in the services balance was US$281.5 million, a decrease of 17.3%
compared with 2008. The decrease in this deficit was caused by the growth of
exports in travel and transport services, in addition to a fall in imports in travel
services.
23.2
Income Balance
•
The surplus in the income balance (employee compensations and investments
income) decreased by 12.1% compared with 2008. The surplus in the income
balance totaled US$808.1 million due to a surplus in employee compensations of
employees working in Israel. These totaled US$626.7 million, reflecting a decrease
of 4.4% in 2009 compared with 2008. Received investments income totaled
US$124.7 million, a decrease of 63.2% in 2009 compared with 2008. The decline
was mainly caused by lower rates of interest received on Palestinian deposits in
overseas banks.
23.3
Current Transfers
•
According to net current transfers, the surplus value totaled US$2,238.6 million, a
decrease of 34.5% compared with 2008. Current transfers by donors made up 79.2%
of the total value of receipts from abroad. This decline in the surplus of net current
transfers was due to the decrease in donor transfers to both governmental and private
sectors, and also the decrease in the household sector, which fell by 21.6% compared
with 2008.
23.4
Capital and Financial Account
•
The surplus value of the capital and financial account totaled US$802.6 million,
mainly due to the surplus in the capital account (US$ 719.0 million), surplus from
the capital transfers of donors, and the surplus in the financial account (direct