Israel has 9,327,000 citizens, more than 11 times its population of 806,000 at the time of the establishment of the modern Jewish state in 1948.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) released its traditional statistics report on the citizens of Israel in honor of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, which is celebrated this year on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Israel has 9,327,000 citizens, more than 11 times its population of 806,000 at the time of the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948.
The Jewish population stands at 6,894,000 million, 74% of the entire population. Israel’s Arab citizens constitute 21.1% of the total population, numbering approximately 1,996,000. Non-Arab Christians and other religious groups constitute 5% of the population.
Since last year’s Independence Day, Israel’s population grew by 137,000, constituting a 1.5% growth, including 167,000 newborn babies; 50,000 people have died.
Israel welcomed 16,000 new immigrants, a significantly low number compared to the annual average due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Some 3.3 million people have made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) since 1948.
On Israel’s 100th birthday, in 2048, the CBS estimate that Israel’s population will grow to about 15 million citizens. According to CBS projections, Israel’s population will surpass 10 million sometime between 2025 and 2030.
About 78% of Israel’s population is Israeli-born, known as “sabras.” In 1948, only 35% were sabras.
Israel’s population is young: About 28.1% are children up to the age of 14, and about 12% are aged 65 and over.
At the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, only one city had more than 100,000 residents – Tel Aviv-Yaffo. Today, 14 cities have over 100,000 residents; eight of them have more than 200,000. They are Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Haifa, Rishon Letzion, Petah Tikvah, Ashdod, Netanya, and Beer Sheva.
In 1949, Israel had merely 500 cities and towns. Today, it has over 1,200.
Israel has 68 institutions of higher education.
In 2021, over 70 years after the Holocaust, the largest Jewish population lives in Israel. This figure represents 46% of world Jewry.