Latest Population Figures for Israel

(2008)

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5769 , the country’s population stands at 7,337,000, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Some 5,542,000 of the population (75.5 percent) are Jewish Israelis, 1,477,000 (20.1%) are Israeli Arabs and the remaining 318,000 (4.4%) are immigrants and their offspring who are not registered as Jews by the Interior Ministry, including some 200,000 foreign workers.

According to the CBS statistics, since last Rosh Hashanah, the country’s population has risen by some 1.8%, with most of this increase being attributed to natural growth. 151,000 new babies have been born (up 2.5% since last year) and some 18,129 new immigrants have arrived.

Aliya this year maintained the decreasing trend it has seen in recent years, falling below the 19,000 new immigrants in 2008.

When the state was established, there were only 806,000 residents, with this number reaching its first and second million in 1949 and 1958 respectively. Since 2003, the growth rate has remained relatively stable. The majority (88 percent) of the increase was due to natural births.

The majority of Israelis (92%) live in urban communities. One-quarter of the Israeli population lives either in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or Rishon Letzion. Jerusalem is the largest city, with 719,900 residents. Most of Israel’s population is concentrated in the center of the country around Tel Aviv, which grew by 500 residents during 2007. On the other hand, 6,400 people left Jerusalem, 2,200 left Haifa and 400 left Ashdod. Some 7,300 people became members of the rural population, most of whom joined kibbutzim.

Among Israel’s 14 largest cities is Rishon Letzion, founded in the 1880s, which has grown from 11,000 residents in 1948 to 219,500 today. Its neighbor to the south, Rehovot, also a veteran town, has grown from 12,500 residents in 1948 to 100,300 in 2003. Ashkelon and Ashdod were founded in 1948 and 1955 respectively as cities on the periphery of the populous center of the country. In 2003, Ashkelon’s population was 104,700 and in 2007, Ashdod’s is 200,600.

Be’er Sheva, “capital of the Negev” and the largest city in the south, had 183,200 residents in 2003. The third largest city in the country, and the largest city in the north, is Haifa, with 267,000 people.

Of the country’s Jewish and non-Arab population , 65 percent were born in Israel. In 1948, only 35 percent of Jews were born in the country.

Among Jews, the largest group is those who originate from a European-American extraction - 2.2 million, which represents 38.5 percent of the total Jewish population in the country as of the end of 2007. Fifteen percent of Jews numbering 871,000 are of African origins while 11.9 percent are from Asian countries. A total of 34.6 percent of Jews are native born Israelis whose parents were also born in the country.

The report also reveals a substantial gap in the life expectancy for Israeli Jews as opposed to Israeli Arabs. Jewish women live an average of 82.5 years and Jewish men live 78.8 years. In the Arab sector, that number falls by four years for men, and 3.8 years for women.

The findings also show that for every 1,000 women in Israel there are 978 men. The population of men age 36 years and younger is greater than of women, though the numbers are reversed when comparing the sexes from age 37 onwards. For every 1,000 women at age 75, there are 672 men at the same age.

The statistics also indicate a greater percentage of single men and women among the Jewish population, particularly in the younger demographic. The numbers reflect a growing trend to marry at a later age. In 2006, 76 percent of Jewish males in the 20 to 29-year-old demographic were not married, compared to 73 percent in 2000, while 60 percent of women were single in 2006 compared to 54 percent in 2000.

Population density in Israel is also high, at an average of 315 people per square kilometer. Tel Aviv is the most densely populated region overall, with 7,100 people per square kilometer, in comparison to 273 people per square kilometer in the north and 73 people per square kilometer in the south.

The report also says that Israel’s population is relatively young compared to western nations. In 2007, 28.4 percent of Israelis were below the age of 14, as opposed to only 17 percent in western countries. Likewise, 9.8 percent of Israel’s population was aged 65 and over, as opposed to 15 percent of western nations’ populations.

The data, published ahead of the high holidays, also showed that Muslim population growth in Israel was nearly three percent, with the figure standing at 1.5% among Jews. In the past few years, however, there has been a significant decline in the growth rate of Israel's Muslim sector, which stood at 3.8% in 2000.