The Daily Populous Wednesday July 22nd, 2026 evening edition
Authored by jpost.com and submitted by NotSoSaneExile

Israeli exports reached an all-time high of $169 billion over the past year, according to official annual figures from the Foreign Trade Administration submitted to Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat. The total exceeded both the ministry's conservative forecast of $165 billion and the previous record of just over $166 billion set in 2022.

The increase came despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, boycotts by several countries, disruptions to global shipping routes, and sharp currency fluctuations.

The record performance was driven primarily by the high-tech sector, particularly software and research and development, which accelerated during the second half of the year and offset weaker performance in traditional industries such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as well as market barriers affecting physical goods exports.

A combined analysis by the Foreign Trade Administration and the Central Bureau of Statistics found that while exports to European countries declined because of logistical and political factors, emerging markets experienced a rapid economic rebound.

Breaking down the figures by region, exports grew significantly in Asian markets where Israel maintains economic missions, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan. Exports to India, where Israel operates three economic missions in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, rose by 7%.

Exports to Serbia surged by approximately 33%, while exports to Azerbaijan also posted significant growth.

Growth in data was mainly supported by the tech, software, and research and development sectors (credit: REUVEN CASTRO)

The world continues to choose blue-and-white innovation

Commenting on the figures, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat said: "These numbers are unequivocal proof of the strength of the Israeli economy and Israeli entrepreneurship. Despite all the crises, the world continues to choose blue-and-white innovation. We have worked tirelessly to break new records, and to sustain this momentum we will expand our foreign trade network this year by opening five new economic missions that will provide tremendous backing for our exporters. Our strategic goal is clear: one trillion dollars in exports within two decades, and this historic record proves we are on the way there."

The Foreign Trade Administration currently operates a network of 55 economic offices worldwide, which, according to ministry figures, generated export deals worth $1.2 billion in 2025. Under the ministry's plan, the network will expand to 60 offices with the opening of five new economic missions in Miami, Buenos Aires, Athens, Belgrade and Addis Ababa.

Firecracker048 on July 22nd, 2026 at 10:41 UTC »

Didn't Spain come out and say they would never buy an Israeli product again then like two days later were found to still be importing missile defense systems?

plush_attractiveness on July 22nd, 2026 at 06:48 UTC »

the gap between political theater and actual trade flows is always wild to watch. governments will make grand statements at the UN about boycotts and sanctions, then their companies quietly keep shipping and buying like nothing happened. money talks louder than speeches every single time.

what gets me is the high tech and software angle. you can't really boycott digital services the same way you can boycott physical goods. good luck telling your finance department to stop using the israeli made cybersecurity tools or whatever. the product is already embedded in the infrastructure.

also the asian markets pivot is interesting, because europe keeps making noise about palestine while china and india just see opportunities. that's the part that probably stings most for the eu politicians who thought economic pressure would actually work.

the tel Aviv skyline shot is a nice touch too, very "we are open for business" energy.

diefy7321 on July 22nd, 2026 at 06:14 UTC »

It’s almost as if countries say one thing to save face, but do the exact opposite when money is involved. Huh.