Demographics of Israel
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This article discusses the demographics of Israel. See also Israelis.
Population
(October 2006) Total: 7,082,000 [2] note: includes over 200,000 people in East Jerusalem, about 270,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and about 20,000 in the Golan Heights (July 2007 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 858,246 / female 818,690)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 2,076,649 / female 2,046,343)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 269,483 / female 357,268) (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.154% (2007 est.) During the 1990s, the Jewish population growth rate was about 3% per year, as a result of massive immigration to Israel, primarily from the republics of the former Soviet Union. There is also a high population growth rate among certain Jewish groups, especially adherents of Haredi Judaism.
The growth rate of the Israeli Arab population is 2.5%, while the growth rate of the Israeli Jewish population is 1.4%. The growth rate of Israeli Arab population is slowing down (from 3.3% in 1999 to 2.5% in 2006).
Crude birth rate
20.8 births/1,000 population (2005)
In 2006, there were a total of 148,170 births. (143,913 in 2005 & 136,390 in 2000). Of this number, 104,513 were to Jewish mothers (Including births to approx. 5,000 Jewish women living in Arab towns like Rahat and Arara. 100,657 in 2005 and 91,936 in 2000). 34,337 were to Muslim mothers (34,217 in 2005, 35,740 in 2000). 2,601 to Druze (2,533 in 2005 & 2,708 in 2000). 2,500 to Christians (2,487 in 2005 & 2,789 in 2000).
Crude death rate
6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
There were a total of 38,666 deaths in 2006. (39,026 in 2005 & 37,688 in 2000). Of this 33,568 were Jews (34,031 in 2005 & 33,421 in 2000). 3,078 were Muslims (2,968 in 2005 & 2,683 in 2000). 360 were Druze (363 in 2005 & 305 in 2000). 712 were Christian (686 in 2005 & 666 in 2000).
Net migration rate
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3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
There were a total of 19,269 immigrants in 2006: 7,472 from the Former Soviet Union, 3,595 from Ethiopia, 2,411 from France, 2,159 from the United States, 594 from the United Kingdom, 304 from India, 293 from Argentina, 232 from Brazil, 228 from Canada, 142 from Colombia, 134 from Venezuela, 114 from South Africa, 112 from Germany, 91 from Belgium, 91 from Central America, 85 from Switzerland, 73 from Uruguay, 72 from Mexico, 66 from Oceania, 63 from Hungary, 61 from Chile, 50 from Romania and 50 from the Netherlands.
21,500 Israelis emigrated in 2005 and 10,500 returned from abroad.
Total number of Israeli emigrants living abroad is around 900,000 including their foreign born children. In the 1990-2001 period alone 270,000 Israelis emigrated abroad, of which 68,000 were of FSU origin. [3]
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 79.46 years male: 77.33 years female: 81.7 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.88 children born/woman (2006.)
TFR was 2.75 for Jews (2.69 in 2005, 2.67 in 2000), 3.97 for Muslims (4.03 in 2005, 4.57 in 2000), 2.64 for Druze (2.59 in 2005, 2.87 in 2000), 2.14 for Christians (2.15 in 2005, 2.35 in 2000) and 1.55 for Others (1.49 in 2005, 1.55 in 2000).
TFR is very high among the Haredi Jews. For Ashkenazi Haredi, the TFR rose to 8.51 in 1996 from 6.91 in 1980. The figure for 2006 is estimated to be even higher. TFR for Sephardi/Mizrachi Haredi rose from 4.57 in 1980 to 6.57 in 1996. [4]
Citizenship
noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups
According to the 2006 Israeli census, Israel's population of 7,116,700 is broken down into the following ethnic groups: [5]
| Ethnic group | Population | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish | 5,394,400 | 75.79% |
| Israeli Arab | 1,413,300 | 19.86% |
| Unaffiliated | 309,900 | 4.35% |
- Most unaffiliated persons are non-Jewish immigrants from the former USSR, but also included are 2,500 Lebanese and some East European Christians from Romania and Bulgaria as well as Christians from Ethiopia.
These data include legal citizens of the State of Israel, not including any Muslim, Christian, or other citizen living under areas administrated by the Palestinian Authority. [1]
Jews
Among Jews, 68% were Sabras (Israeli-born), mostly second or third generation Israelis, and the rest are olim — 22% from Europe and the Americas, and 10% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.[6]
Traditionally, Jews are grouped into:
- Ashkenazim - Jews whose ancestors came from Germany, France, and Eastern Europe. Most Ashkenazi Jews that settled in Israel were from Russia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Italy (mainly Milan and Trieste), North America, South Africa and Australia.
- Sephardim - Jews whose ancestors lived in Spain and Portugal until 1492, and sometimes until later, then spread to Greece, Italy, England, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, as well as into the Ottoman Empire. Many Sephardi Jews that settled in Israel from Morocco, Turkey, North Africa and the Mediterranean area are descendants from migrants from Spain and Portugal. In modern Israeli Hebrew usage, this category often includes Mizrahim.
- Bené Roma - Jews whose ancestors lived mainly in central Italy. Due to its history and geographical position, Rome hosted the most ancient continuous Jewish community in Western Europe, dating back to the Roman Empire. Northern Italy hosted for centuries large Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities.
- Mizrahim - Jews whose ancestors lived in Arab or Muslim lands, but did not live in Spain or Portugal. Most Jewish immigrants to Israel from Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria are considered Mizrahim.
- Beta Israel of Ethiopia who were initially brought to Israel during Operation Solomon and Operation Moses. Today at least 100,000 live in the country.
- Indian Jews - Jews from five distinct communities in India and also Burma, each with very different origins.
Note: the Greek are Romaniotes; and many of the Bulgarian and Latin American are Sephardic. These groups claim distinct cultures and histories.
Those with origins in Muslim and Arab lands are commonly called Sephardi by their Ashkenazi counterparts, though the majority does not descend from Iberian Jews and are best described as Mizrahi. The Jews of Iran and Iraqi Jews are always considered Mizrahi as well as the Yemenite and Omani Jews.
For a complete list and thorough discussion of Jewish ethnic groups, see Jewish ethnic divisions. However, this grouping is becoming used less due to cultural assimilation and intermarriage.
In Israel there are approximately 300,000 ethnic Jews who are not Jewish according to the halachic law. Of this number approximately 10% are Christian and 89% are either Jewish or non-religious. Only a small number of them (c.2,000) convert every year to Judaism, while immigration from FSU adds thousands to their number every year. The total number of conversions under the Nativ program of IDF was 640 in 2005 and 450 in 2006. From 2002 to 2007 October 1, a total of 2,213 soldiers have converted under Nativ. [7] In 2003, 437 Christians converted to Judaism, in 2004 – 884, and in 2005 – 733. [8]
Arabs
Arabs in Israel include descendants of those who originally lived in the land of today's Israel (it was then recognized as Palestine) and stayed within Israel's borders during the 1948 Palestinian exodus. The exodus refers to the refugee flight of Palestinian Arabs during the last 6 months of the British Mandate and the First 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Arabs in Israel also include the descendants of those refuges who left the country and returned to Israel soon afterwards. Other Arab populations include the Druze and the Bedouins. About 9% of Israeli Arabs are Christians of various denominations, mostly Catholics and Orthodox.
Circassians
In Israel, there are also a few thousand Circassians, living mostly in Kfar Kama (2,000) and Reyhaniye (1,000).[2] These two villages were a part of a greater group of Circassian villages around the Golan Heights. The Circassians in Israel enjoy, like Druzes, a status aparte. Male Circassians (at their leader's request) are mandated for military service, while females are not.
Others
Small populations of other groups reside in Israel:
- 2,500 Lebanese
- 5,000 Armenians (mostly in Jerusalem)
- Christians from Romania and Bulgaria
- Christians from Ethiopia
Religions
| Religion | Population | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish | 5,313,800 | 76.0% |
| Muslim | 1,140,600 | 16.3% |
| Christian | 146,000 | 2.1% |
| Druze | 115,200 | 1.7% |
| Unclassified by choice | 272,200 | 3.9% |
Official figures do not exist as to the number of atheists or otherwise non-affiliated individuals, who may comprise up to a quarter of the population referred to as Jewish. According to a 2004 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics Study on Israelis aged over 8% of Israeli Jews define themselves as haredim (or Ultra-Orthodox); an additional 9% are "religious" (predominantly orthodox, also known in Israel as: Zionist-religious, national-religious and kippot srugot); 12% consider themselves "religious-traditionalists" (mostly adhering to Jewish Halakha); 27% are "non-religious traditionalists" (only partly respecting the Jewish Halakha), and 43% are "secular". Among the seculars, 53% say they believe in God. Due to the higher natality rate of religious and traditionalists over seculars, the share of religious and traditionalists among the overall population is even higher.
Languages
Due to its immigrant nature, Israel is one of the most multicultural and multilinguistic societies in the world. Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages, while English, Russian, Yiddish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Amharic, Turkish, French, Spanish, German, Vietnamese, and Polish are the most commonly used foreign languages.[citation needed] A certain degree of English is spoken virtually universally, and is the language of choice for many Israeli businesses. Courses on English Language is mandatory in the Israeli school system, and most schools offer Arabic, Spanish and French.
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.4% male: 97.3% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Education between ages 5 and 18 is free and compulsory. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, and either 6-year secondary schools or 3-year junior secondary schools + 3-year senior secondary schools (depending on region), after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions. There are seven university-level institutions in Israel.
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Circassians in Israel". Circassian World.
- Sergio Della Pergola, Israele e Palestina: la forza dei numeri. Il conflitto mediorientale fra demografia e politica, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2007
- The Israeli bureau of statistics
- CIA World Factbook entry on Israel
- Israelbooks.com The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute
(2005). Annual Assessment 2004-2005: Between Thriving and Decline. Gefen Publishing House.
