Approximately 182,000 babies were born during the year, compared with around 50,000 deaths.
By Shula Rosen
Israel’s population has grown to an estimated 10.305 million ahead of Rosh Hashanah, adding approximately 124,000 people in a year in which births continued to outweigh deaths and migration produced a net population loss, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.
The CBS put annual population growth at 1.2% in its “Israel in Numbers” report.
Jews and others number about 7.828 million, or 78.3% of the Israeli population, compared with approximately 2.173 million Arabs, or 21.7%. Another 304,000 people are foreign nationals.
Demographic growth was driven primarily by births. Approximately 182,000 babies were born during the year, compared with around 50,000 deaths. Migration, meanwhile, subtracted roughly 8,000 people from the Israeli population.
Some 24,000 new immigrants arrived, while approximately 4,000 people entered through family reunification.
About 21,000 Israelis returned after previously emigrating, compared with some 57,000 who were newly classified as having emigrated.
The latest figures follow a sustained increase in departures. A Tel Aviv University study published in August found that 268,930 Israelis left in the three years from 2023 through 2025: 86,509 in 2023, 91,499 in 2024 and 90,922 in 2025. Only 83,219 citizens departed during 2013, 2014 and 2015 combined.
Israel continued to stand apart from other developed countries in fertility. The relevant annual figures counted 183,678 live births and placed the fertility rate at 2.88 children per woman, more than double the OECD average of 1.41.
Other indicators showed unemployment at 2.9%, with 4.577 million people in the labor force. Life expectancy reached 81.4 years for men and 85.9 for women, placing them seventh and eighth, respectively, among OECD countries using comparable 2024 figures.
Housing costs moved in different directions. The housing price index declined 1% and new-home prices fell 2.8%, but average rent increased 4.3%. Homes averaged approximately NIS 2.33 million, while monthly rent averaged NIS 4,919.
Israel is also home to approximately 46% of the world’s 15.9 million Jews as of January 1, 2026.
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