60.8% of Jerusalem residents are Jews or non-Arab, while 39.2% are Arab, according to recent population data.
By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel
Ahead of Jerusalem Day 2023, the capital city’s population stands at 984,500, according to the most recent data released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
At the end of 2022, 60.8% of Jerusalem residents were Jews or non-Jews who are not Arab, while 39.2% were Arab. 29% of the city’s residents come from the haredi Jewish sector.
Jerusalem is considered a “young” city: 33% of the city’s population are ages 0-14, compared to 19.7% in Haifa and 18.3% in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
In contrast, the percentage of those ages 65 and older is lower than the percentage in other large cities – only 9.6%, compared to 20.8% in Haifa and 15.4% in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Over the course of 2022 the population of Jerusalem grew by about 13,200 people. The city saw natural population growth (births minus deaths) of about 20,200 people, along with an additional net immigration influx from abroad of 8,500. At the same time, a net 15,500 people moved away from Jerusalem to other localities within Israel.
39% of those who left Jerusalem for other localities in the country were in the 0-19 age group, while 31% of those moving to Jerusalem from other localities were ages 0-19.
On the other hand, 28% of those leaving Jerusalem for other localities were in the 20-29 age group, while 38% of those moving to Jerusalem from other localities in Israel were in the 20-29 group.
CBS noted that the conclusion from the data is that there are more families with children among those leaving than among those moving to Jerusalem.
The total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime) in Jerusalem was3.86 children per woman, higher than the national average of 3.00. Among Jews and non-Arabs, the rate was 4.39 (compared to 3.00 in the national average) while among Arab women it was 3.09 (compared to 2.85 in the national average).
The average age of mothers at first birth in Jerusalem is about 3 years lower than the national average – 24.9 compared to 27.8, respectively. A Jerusalem household has an average of 3.75 people, compared to the national average of 3.19 people.
About two-thirds (65%) of Jerusalem residents aged 20 and over have been living in the city since birth, compared to 34% on average for locations around the country.