Demographics of Israel

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Population of Israel since 1949
Population	9,364,000 (99th)
Density	401/km2 (35th)
Growth rate	2.0%
Birth rate	21.5 births/1,000 population (101st)
Death rate	5.2 deaths/1,000 population (174th)
Life expectancy	82.7 years (8th)
• male	80.7 years
• female	84.6 years
Fertility rate	3.13 children born/woman (76th)
Infant mortality rate	4.03 deaths/1,000 live births (25th)
Age structure
0–14 years	27.3%
15–64 years	62.2%
65 and over	10.5%
Sex ratio
Total	1.01 male(s)/female
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years	1.03 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.78 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Israelis
Major ethnic	Jews, Arabs
Minor ethnic	Druze, Arameans, Armenians, Circassians, Samaritans
Language
Official	Hebrew
Spoken	Arabic, Russian, Yiddish, French, English

The State of Israel has a population of approximately 9,227,700 inhabitants as of July 2020. Some 74.24% are Jews of all backgrounds (about 6,829,000 individuals), 20.95% are Arab of any religion other than Jewish (about 1,890,000 individuals), while the remaining 4.81% (about 434,000 individuals) are defined as "others", including persons of Jewish ancestry deemed non-Jewish by religious law and persons of non-Jewish ancestry who are family members of Jewish immigrants (neither of which are registered at the Ministry of Interior as Jews), Christian non-Arabs, Muslim non-Arabs and all other residents who have neither an ethnic nor religious classification.

Israel's annual population growth rate stood at 2.0% in 2015, more than three times faster than the OECD average of around 0.6%. With an average of three children per woman, Israel also has the highest fertility rate in the OECD by a considerable margin and much higher than the OECD average of 1.7. The demographics of Israel are monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.

Definition

The territory of Israel can be defined in a number of ways as a result of a complex and unresolved political situation (see table below). For example, whilst the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics defines the area of Israel to include the annexed East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, and to exclude the militarily controlled regions of the West Bank, the CBS defines the population of Israel to also include Israeli settlers living in the Area C of West Bank and the Muslim residents of East Jerusalem and Area C, who have Israeli residency or citizenship.

Demographic regions of Israel and surrounding territories

Region	Status	Population (thousands)				Area (km2)
		Israelis (including Jews and Muslims)	Cumulative total	Non-Israeli Palestinians	Cumulative total	Area	Cumulative total
Green Line	Area sovereign to Israel after 1949 Armistice Agreements	6,819	—	—	—	20,582
East Jerusalem	Occupied by Israel in 1967. Annexed by Israel via the Jerusalem Law of 1980, The law was not recognised internationally and determined null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 478.	455	—	225 (double counted)	—	336	—
Golan Heights	Occupied by Israel in 1967. Annexed by Israel via the Golan Heights Law of 1981, The law was not recognised internationally and determined null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497. The United States became the first country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community considers Israeli occupied Syrian territory.	42	7,316	n.a. (Syrians)	n.a.	1,154	22,072
Seam Zone	Area between the Green Line and the West Bank barrier – area occupied by Israel in 1967, currently part of Area C	188	—	35	—	200	—
Other Israeli settlements and IDF military areas (West Bank Area C)	Israeli control, except over Palestinian civilians, according to the administrative divisions of the Oslo Accords	57	7,620	115	375	2,961	25,233
Palestinian National Authority (West Bank Areas A and B)	Palestinian civil control, according to the administrative divisions of the Oslo Accords	—	—	2,311	2,686	2,143	27,376
Gaza Strip	Palestinian governed area. Israel controls airspace, maritime border and 80% of land border.	—	—	1,816	4,502	360	27,736

Cities

Main article: List of Israeli cities

Within Israel's system of local government, an urban municipality can be granted a city council by the Israeli Interior Ministry when its population exceeds 20,000. The term "city" does not generally refer to local councils or urban agglomerations, even though a defined city often contains only a small portion of an urban area or metropolitan area's population.

Largest cities in Israel Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
	Rank	Name	District	Pop.	Rank	Name	District	Pop.
Jerusalem Tel Aviv	1	Jerusalem	Jerusalem	981,711a	11	Ramat Gan	Tel Aviv	172,486	Haifa Rishon LeZion
	2	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv	474,530	12	Beit Shemesh	Jerusalem	154,694
	3	Haifa	Haifa	290,306	13	Ashkelon	Southern	153,138
	4	Rishon LeZion	Central	260,453	14	Rehovot	Central	150,748
	5	Petah Tikva	Central	255,387	15	Bat Yam	Tel Aviv	128,465
	6	Netanya	Central	233,104	16	Herzliya	Tel Aviv	106,741
	7	Ashdod	Southern	226,827	17	Hadera	Haifa	103,041
	8	Bnei Brak	Tel Aviv	218,357	18	Kfar Saba	Central	101,556
	9	Beersheba	Southern	214,162	19	Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut	Central	99,171
	10	Holon	Tel Aviv	197,957	20	Lod	Central	85,351

^a This number includes East Jerusalem and West Bank areas, which had a total population of 573,330 inhabitants in 2019. Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized.

Ethnic and religious groups

Further information: Israelis and Religion in Israel

Detailed demographic map of Israel (including the occupied Syrian territory of Golan, as well as the West Bank (Partially under Palestinian civilian jurisdiction) and Gaza Strip (under Palestinian civilian jurisdiction)

The most prominent ethnic and religious groups, who live in Israel at present and who are Israeli citizens or nationals, are as follows:

Jews

Main article: Israeli Jews

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2008, of Israel's 7.3 million people, 75.6 percent were Jews of any background. Among them, 70.3 percent were Sabras (born in Israel), mostly second- or third-generation Israelis, and the rest are olim (Jewish immigrants to Israel)—20.5 percent from Europe and the Americas, and 9.2 percent from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries. About 44.9% percent of Israel's Jewish population identify as either Mizrahi or Sephardi, 44.2% identify as Ashkenazi, about 3% as Beta Israel and 7.9% as mixed or other.

The paternal lineage of the Jewish population of Israel as of 2015 is as follows:

Ethnic origin of Israeli Jews

Countries of Origin	Population			Percentage
	Share	2015	2008	Share	2015	2008
Total		6,276,800	5,523,700	-	100%	100%
From Israel by paternal country of origin:		2,765,500	2,043,800		44.06%	37%
From Europe by own or paternal country of origin:		1,648,000	1,662,800		26.26%	30.1%
Russia and former USSR		891,700	923,600		14.21%	16.83%
Romania		199,400	213,100		3.18%	3.86%
Poland		185,400	198,500		2.95%	3.59%
France		87,500	63,200		1.39%	1.14%
Germany and Austria		70,800	49,700		1.13%	0.9%
Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia		59,800	64,900		0.95%	1.17%
United Kingdom		46,000	39,800		0.73%	0.72%
Bulgaria and Greece		45,500	48,900		0.72%	0.89%
Other European		61,900	61,100		0.99%	1.11%
From Africa by own or paternal country of origin:		897,300	859,100		14.3%	15.53%
Morocco		484,500	486,600		7.72%	8.81%
Algeria and Tunisia		133,500	120,600		2.13%	2.18%
Ethiopia		133,200	106,900		2.12%	1.94%
Libya		66,800	67,400		1.06%	1.22%
Egypt		54,600	55,800		0.87%	1.01%
Other African		24,700	17,200		0.39%	0.31%
From Asia by own or paternal country of origin:		674,500	681,400		10.75%	12.33%
Iraq		225,800	233,500		3.6%	4.23%
Iran (Persia)		140,100	134,700		2.23%	2.44%
Yemen		134,100	138,300		2.14%	2.5%
Turkey		74,600	76,900		1.19%	1.39%
India and Pakistan		47,600	45,600		0.76%	0.83%
Syria and Lebanon		34,500	35,300		0.55%	0.64%
Other Asian		18,000	17,200		0.29%	0.31%
From the Americas and Oceania by own or paternal country of origin:		291,500	249,800		4.64%	4.52%
United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand		181,000	149,200		2.88%	2.7%
Argentina		62,600	59,400		1%	1.08%
Other Latin American		47,900	41,200		0.76%	0.75%

Arabs

Main article: Arab citizens of Israel

Distribution of Arabic speaking localities in Israel

Arab citizens of Israel are those Arab residents of Mandatory Palestine, who remained within Israel's borders following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and the establishment of the state of Israel. It is including those born within the state borders subsequent to this time, as well as those who had left during the establishment of the state (or their descendants), who have since re-entered by means accepted as lawful residence by the Israeli state (primarily family reunifications).

In 2019, the official number of Arab residents in Israel was 1,890,000 people, representing 21% of Israel's population. This figure includes 209,000 Arabs (14% of the Israeli Arab population) in East Jerusalem, also counted in the Palestinian statistics, although 98 percent of East Jerusalem Palestinians have either Israeli residency or Israeli citizenship.

Arab Muslims

Most Arab citizens of Israel are Muslim, particularly of the Sunni branch of Islam. A small minority are Ahmadiyya sect and there are also some Alawites (affiliated with Shia Islam) in the northernmost village of Ghajar with Israeli citizenship. As of 2019, Arab citizens of Israel comprised 21 percent of the country's total population. About 82 percent of the Arab population in Israel are Sunni Muslims, a very small minority are Shia Muslims, another 9 percent are Druze, and around 9 percent are Christian (mostly Eastern Orthodox and Catholic denominations).

Bedouin

Main article: Negev Bedouin

The Arab Muslim citizens of Israel include also the Bedouins, who are divided into two main groups: the Bedouin in the north of Israel, who live in villages and towns for the most part, and the Bedouin in the Negev, who include half-nomadic and inhabitants of towns and Unrecognized villages. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 1999, 110,000 Bedouins live in the Negev, 50,000 in the Galilee and 10,000 in the central region of Israel. The vast majority of Arab Bedouins of Israel practice Sunni Islam.

Ahmadiyya

The Ahmadiyya community was first established in the region in the 1920s, in what was then Mandatory Palestine. There is a large community in Kababir, a neighbourhood on Mount Carmel in Haifa. It is unknown how many Israeli Ahmadis there are, although it is estimated there are about 2,200 Ahmadis in Kababir alone.

Arab Christians

As of December 2013, about 161,000 Israeli citizens practiced Christianity, together comprising about 2% of the total population. The largest group consists of Melkites (about 60% of Israel's Christians), followed by the Greek Orthodox (about 30%), with the remaining ca. 10% spread between the Roman Catholic (Latin), Maronite, Anglican, Lutheran, Armenian, Syriac, Ethiopian, Coptic and other denominations.

Druze

Main article: Israeli Druze

The Arab citizens of Israel include also the Druze, who numbered at an estimated 143,000 in April 2019. All of the Druze living in what was then British Mandate Palestine became Israeli citizens after the declaration of the State of Israel. Though a few individuals identify themselves as "Palestinian Druze", the vast majority of Druze do not consider themselves to be 'Palestinian', and consider their Israeli identity stronger than their Arab identity. Druze serve prominently in the Israel Defense Forces, and are represented in mainstream Israeli politics and business as well, unlike Muslim Arabs who are not required to and generally choose not to serve in the Israeli army.

Syriac Christians

Arameans

Main articles: Arameans in Israel and Maronites in Israel

In 2014, Israel decided to recognize the Aramaic community within its borders as a national minority, allowing some of the Christians in Israel to be registered as "Aramean" instead of "Arab". As of October 2014, some 600 Israelis requested to be registered as Arameans, with several thousand eligible for the status – mostly members of the Maronite community.

The Maronite Christian community in Israel of around 7,000 resides mostly in the Galilee, with a presence in Haifa, Nazareth and Jerusalem. It is largely composed of families that lived in Upper Galilee in villages such as Jish long before the establishment of Israel in 1948. In the year 2000, the community was joined by a group of Lebanese SLA militia members and their families, who fled Lebanon after 2000 withdrawal of IDF from South Lebanon.

Assyrians

Main article: Assyrians in Israel

There are around 1,000 Assyrians living in Israel, mostly in Jerusalem and Nazareth. Assyrians are an Aramaic speaking, Eastern Rite Christian minority who are descended from the ancient Mesopotamians. The old Syriac Orthodox monastery of Saint Mark lies in Jerusalem. Other than followers of the Syriac Orthodox Church, there are also followers of the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church living in Israel.

Other citizens

Copts

Some 1,000 Israeli citizens belong to the Coptic community, originating in Egypt.

Samaritans

Main article: Samaritans

The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Ancestrally, they claim descent from a group of Israelite inhabitants who have connections to ancient Samaria from the beginning of the Babylonian Exile up to the beginning of the Common Era. 2007 population estimates show that 712 Samaritans live half in Holon, Israel and half at Mount Gerizim in the West Bank. The Holon community holds Israeli citizenship, while the Gerizim community resides at an Israeli controlled enclave, holding dual Israeli-Palestinian citizenship.

Armenians

Main article: Armenians in Israel

About 4,000 Armenians reside in Israel mostly in Jerusalem (including in the Armenian Quarter), but also in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jaffa. Armenians have a Patriarchate in Jerusalem and churches in Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa. Although Armenians of Old Jerusalem have Israeli identity cards, they are officially holders of Jordanian passports.

Circassians

Main article: Circassians in Israel

Circassians in Kfar Kama

In Israel, there are also a few thousand Circassians, living mostly in Kfar Kama (2,000) and Reyhaniye (1,000). 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.

People from post-Soviet states

Russophone shop in Haifa

Ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who were eligible to emigrate due to having, or being married to somebody who has, at least one Jewish grandparent and thus qualified for Israeli citizenship under the revised Law of Return. A number of these immigrants also belong to various ethnic groups from the Former Soviet Union such as Armenians, Georgians, Azeris, Uzbeks, Moldovans, Tatars, among others. Some of them, having a Jewish father or grandfather, identify as Jews, but being non-Jewish by Orthodox Halakha (religious law), they are not recognized formally as Jews by the state. Most of them are in the mainstream of Israel culture and are called "expanded Jewish population". In addition, a certain number of former Soviet citizens, primarily women of Russian and Ukrainian ethnicity, emigrated to Israel, after marrying Muslim or Christian Arab citizens of Israel, who went to study in the former Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. 1,557,698 people from the current Russia and Ukraine live in Israel.

Finns

Although most people of Finnish origin in Israel are Finnish Jews who immigrated to Israel, and their descendants, a small number of Finnish Christians moved to Israel in the 1940s before independence and gained citizenship following independence. For the most part, many of the original Finnish settlers intermarried with the other communities in the country, and therefore remain very small in number. A Moshav shitufi near Jerusalem named Yad HaShmona, meaning the "Memorial for the Eight", was established in 1971 by a group of Finnish Christian-Israelis, although today, most members are Israeli, and are predominantly Hebrew speakers, and the moshav has become a center of Messianic Jews.

Baháʼís

The population of followers of the Baháʼí Faith in Israel is almost entirely made up of volunteers serving at the Baháʼí World Centre. Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892), the Faith's founder, was banished to Akka and died nearby where his shrine is located. During his lifetime he instructed his followers not to teach and convert those living in the area, and the Baháʼís descending from those original immigrants were later asked to leave and teach elsewhere. For nearly a century there has been a policy by Shoghi Effendi and later the Universal House of Justice to not accept converts from Israel. The 650 or so foreign national Baháʼís living in Israel are almost all on temporary duty serving at the shrines and administrative offices. A fluctuating segment of Baháʼís consists of those on the Baháʼí pilgrimage.

Vietnamese

The number of Vietnamese people in Israel and their descendants is estimated at 150 to 200. Most of them came to Israel in between 1976 and 1979, after prime minister Menachem Begin authorized their admission to Israel and granted them political asylum. The Vietnamese people living in Israel are Israeli citizens who also serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Today, the majority of the community lives in the Gush Dan area in the center of Tel Aviv, but also a few dozen Vietnamese-Israelis or Israelis of Vietnamese origin live in Haifa, Jerusalem, and Ofakim.

African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem

Main article: African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem

The African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem is a religious sect of Black Americans, founded in 1960 by Ben Carter a metal worker in Chicago. The members of this sect believe they are descended from the tribes of Judah driven from the Holy Land by the Romans during the First Jewish War (70 AD), and who reportedly emigrated to West Africa before being taken as slaves to the United States. With a population of over 5,000, most members live in their own community in Dimona, Israel, with additional families in Arad, Mitzpe Ramon, and the Tiberias area. The group believes that the ancient Israelites are the ancestors of Black Americans and that the actual Jews are "impostors". Some scholarship does consider them to be of subsaharan African origin, rather than Levantine. Their ancestors were Black Americans who, after being expelled from Liberia, illegally immigrated to Israel in the late 1960s using tourist visas, requesting that Israel provide them legal citizenship status. Israel granted their requests. The African Hebrew Israelites, like the Haredim and most Israeli Arabs, are not required to serve in the military; however, some do.

Naturalized foreign workers

Some naturalized foreign workers and their children born in Israel, predominantly from the Philippines, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Romania, China, Cyprus, Thailand, and South America (mainly Colombia).

Non-citizens

African migrants

Further information: Sudanese refugees in Israel and Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel

Meeting between Sudanese refugees and Israeli students, 2007.

The number and status of African migrants in Israel is disputed and controversial, but it is estimated that at least 70,000 refugees mainly from Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Ivory Coast reside and work in Israel. A count in late 2011 published in Ynet pointed out the number only in Tel Aviv is 40,000, which represents 10 percent of the city's population. The vast majority live in the southern parts of the city. There is a significant population in the southern Israeli cities of Eilat, Arad, and Beersheba.

Foreign workers

Further information: Filipinos in Israel, Chinese people in Israel, and Palestinian workers in Israel

There are around 300,000 foreign workers, residing in Israel under temporary work visas, including Palestinians. Most of those foreign workers engage in agriculture and construction. The main groups of those foreign workers include the Chinese, Thai, Filipinos, Nigerians, Romanians, and Latin Americans.

Other refugees

Approximately 100–200 refugees from Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraqi Kurdistan, and North Korea were absorbed in Israel as refugees. Most of them were also given Israeli resident status, and currently reside in Israel. As of 2006, some 200 ethnic Kurdish refugees from Turkey resided in Israel as illegal immigrants, fleeing the Kurdish–Turkish conflict.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Israel

Road sign in Hebrew, Arabic and English

Due to its immigrant nature, Israel is one of the most multicultural and multilingual societies in the world. Hebrew is the official language of the country, and Arabic is given special status, while English and Russian are the two most widely spoken non-official languages. A certain degree of English is spoken widely, and is the language of choice for many Israeli businesses. Hebrew and English language are mandatory subjects in the Israeli school system, and most schools offer either Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Italian, or Russian.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Israel

Religion in Israel

     Jewish,      Muslim,      Christian,      Druze,      Other.
Until 1995, figures for Christians also included Others.

According to a 2010 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics study of Israelis aged over 18:

• 8% of Israeli Jews define themselves as Haredim (or ultra-Orthodox);
• 12% are "religious" (non-Haredi Orthodox, also known as: dati leumi/national-religious or religious Zionist);
• 13% consider themselves "religious-traditionalists" (mostly adhering to Jewish Halakha);
• 25% are "non-religious traditionalists" (only partly respecting the Jewish Halakha), and
• 43% are "secular".

While the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, represented only 5% of Israel's population in 1990, they are expected to represent more than one-fifth of Israel's Jewish population by 2028. By 2020, they were 12% of the population.

Religious makeup, 2019

Group	Population	%
Jews	6,697,000	74.2%
Muslims	1,605,700	17.8%
Christians	180,400	2.0%
Druze	143,000	1.6%
Other/unknown	394,900	4.4%

Education

Main article: Education in Israel

Education between ages 5 and 15 is compulsory. It is not free, but it is subsidized by the government, individual organizations (such as the Beit Yaakov System), or a combination. Parents are expected to participate in courses as well. 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.

Policy

See also: Demographic threat § Israel

Israel is the eighteenth-most-densely-crowded country in the world. In an academic article, Jewish National Fund Board member Daniel Orenstein, argues that, as elsewhere, overpopulation is a stressor on the environment in Israel; he shows that environmentalists have conspicuously failed to consider the impact of population on the environment, and argues that overpopulation in Israel has not been appropriately addressed for ideological reasons.

Citizenship and Entry Law

Main article: Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law

The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) 5763 was first passed on 31 July 2003, and has since been extended until 31 July 2008. The law places age restrictions for the automatic granting of Israeli citizenship and residency permits to spouses of Israeli citizens, such that spouses who are inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are ineligible. On 8 May 2005, the Israeli ministerial committee for issues of legislation once again amended the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, to restrict citizenship and residence in Israel only to Palestinian men over the age of 35, and Palestinian women over the age of 25. Those in favor of the law say the law not only limits the possibility of the entrance of terrorists into Israel, but, as Ze'ev Boim asserts, allows Israel "to maintain the state's democratic nature, but also its Jewish nature" (i. e., its Jewish demographic majority). Critics, including the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, say the law disproportionately affects Arab citizens of Israel, since Arabs in Israel are far more likely to have spouses from the West Bank and Gaza Strip than other Israeli citizens.

In the constitutional challenges to the Citizenship and Entry to Israel Law, the state, represented by the Attorney General, insisted that security was the only objective behind the law. The state also added that even if the law was intended to achieve demographic objectives, it is still in conformity with Israel's Jewish and democratic definition, and thus constitutional. In a 2012 ruling by the Supreme Court on the issue, some of the judges on the panel discussed demography, and were inclined to accept that demography is a legitimate consideration in devising family reunification policies that violate the right to family life.

Soviet immigration

Further information: 1970s Soviet Union aliyah and 1990s post-Soviet aliyah

During the 1970s about 163,000 people of Jewish descent immigrated to Israel from the USSR.

Later Ariel Sharon, in his capacity as Minister of Housing & Construction and member of the Ministerial Committee for Immigration & Absorption, launched an unprecedented large-scale construction effort to accommodate the new Russian population in Israel so as to facilitate their smooth integration and encourage further Jewish immigration as an ongoing means of increasing the Jewish population of Israel. Between 1989 and 2006, about 979,000 Jews emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Israel.

Statistics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	1,370,100	—
1960	2,150,400	+4.61%
1970	3,022,100	+3.46%
1980	3,921,700	+2.64%
1990	4,821,700	+2.09%
2000	6,369,300	+2.82%
2010	7,695,100	+1.91%
2019	9,098,700	+1.88%
Source: (2019 data)

Total population

9,989,180

Note: includes over 200,000 Israelis and 250,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem, about 421,400 Jewish settlers on the West Bank, and about 42,000 in the Golan Heights (July 2007 estimate). Does not include Arab populations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Does not include 222,000 foreigners living in the country.

Population demography (2017)

Group	Population	Proportion of total	Growth rate
Jews:	6,556,000	74.6%	1.7%
Non-Haredi	5,522,598	62.8%	1.2%
Haredi	1,033,000	11.8%	5.0%
Arabs	1,837,000	20.9%	2.1%
Other	400,000	4.5%	N/A
Total	8,793,000	100%	1.9%

Age structure

A population pyramid that shows the age of the population by sex in 2017

Total:

• 0–14 years: 28.0%
• 15–64 years: 62.1%
• 65 years and over: 9.9%

Jews:

• 0–14 years: 25.5%
• 15–64 years: 63.1%
• 65 years and over: 11.4%

Arab:

• 0–14 years: 37.5%
• 15–64 years: 58.6%
• 65 years and over: 3.9% (2010 est.)

Median age

• Total: 29.7
• Jewish: 31.6
• Arab: 21.1

The Jewish median age in Jerusalem district and the West Bank are 24.9 and 19.7, respectively, and both account for 16% of the Jewish population, but 24% of 0- to 4-year-olds. The lowest median age in Israel, and one of the lowest in the world, is found in two of the West Bank's biggest Jewish cities: Modi'in Illit (11), Beitar Illit (11) followed by Bedouin towns in the Negev (15.2).

Population growth rate

• 2.0% (2016)

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 very high population growth rate among certain Jewish groups, especially adherents of Orthodox Judaism. The growth rate of the Arab population in Israel is 2.2%, while the growth rate of the Jewish population in Israel is 1.8%. The growth rate of the Arab population has slowed from 3.8% in 1999 to 2.2% in 2013, and for the Jewish population, the growth rate declined from 2.7% to its lowest rate of 1.4% in 2005. Due to a rise in fertility of the Jewish population since 1995 and immigration, the growth rate has since risen to 1.8%.

Birth rate

VII/2019-VI/2020:

• Total: 19.8 births/1,000 population
• Jews and others: 19.1 births/1,000 population
• Muslims: 23.8 births/1,000 population
• Christians: 13.8 births/1,000 population
• Druze: 15.7 births/1,000 population

Births, in absolute numbers, by mother's religion

Birth rates of various Israeli peoples

Year	Jewish	Muslim	Christian	Druze	Others	Total	% Jewish	% Muslim
1996	83,710	30,802	2,678	2,682	1,461	121,333	69.0%	25.4%
2000	91,936	35,740	2,789	2,708	3,217	136,390	67.4%	26.2%
2005	100,657	34,217	2,487	2,533	4,019	143,913	69.9%	23.8%
2006	104,513	34,337	2,500	2,601	4,219	148,170	70.5%	23.2%
2007	107,986	34,572	2,521	2,510	4,090	151,679	71.2%	22.8%
2008	112,803	34,860	2,511	2,534	4,215	156,923	71.9%	22.2%
2009	116,599	35,253	2,514	2,517	4,159	161,042	72.4%	21.9%
2010	120,673	36,221	2,511	2,535	4,315	166,255	72.6%	21.8%
2011	121,520	35,247	2,596	2,469	4,464	166,296	73.1%	21.2%
2012	125,409	36,041	2,610	2,371	4,509	170,940	73.4%	21.1%
2013	126,999	34,927	2,602	2,350	4,566	171,444	74.1%	20.4%
2014	130,576	35,965	2,814	2,366	4,706	176,427	74.0%	20.4%
2015	132,220	36,659	2,669	2,376	4,799	178,723	74.0%	20.5%
2016	134,100	37,592	2,613	2,446	4,654	181,405	73.9%	20.7%
2017	134,630	39,550	2,504	2,350	4,614	183,648	73.3%	21.5%
2018	135,809	38,757	2,721	2,434	4,649	184,370	73.7%	21.0%
2019	133,243	39,525	2,409	2,298	5,156	182,016	73.2%	21.7%

Current natural population growth:

• Births from January–August 2019 = Jewish: 87,237 (73.15%); Muslim: 26,016 (21.81%); Christian: 1,558 (1.31%); Druze: 1,505 (1.26%); Others: 2,939 (2.46%); Total: 119,255
• Births from January–August 2020 = Jewish: 85,453 (73.42%); Muslim: 24,974 (21.46%); Christian: 1,638 (1.41%); Druze: 1,522 (1.31%); Others: 2,796 (2.40%); Total: 116,383

Between the mid-1980s and 2000, the fertility rate in the Muslim sector was stable at 4.6–4.7 children per woman; after 2001, a gradual decline became evident, reaching 3.51 children per woman in 2011. By point of comparison, in 2011, there was a rising fertility rate of 2.98 children among the Jewish population.

Births and deaths

Birth and death rates in Israel

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
1950	1,370,000	43,431	8,700	34,731	34.1	6.8	27.3
1951	1,578,000	50,542	9,866	40,676	34.3	6.7	27.6
1952	1,630,000	52,556	11,666	40,890	32.8	7.3	25.5
1953	1,669,000	52,552	10,916	41,636	31.9	6.6	25.3
1954	1,718,000	48,951	11,328	37,623	28.9	6.7	22.2
1955	1,789,000	50,686	10,532	40,154	28.9	6.0	22.9	4.03
1956	1,872,000	52,287	12,025	40,262	28.6	6.6	22.0
1957	1,976,000	53,940	12,487	41,453	28.0	6.5	21.5
1958	2,032,000	52,649	11,615	41,034	26.3	5.8	20.5
1959	2,089,000	54,604	12,056	42,548	26.5	5.9	20.6
1960	2,150,000	56,002	12,053	43,949	26.4	5.7	20.7
1961	2,234,000	54,869	12,663	42,206	25.0	5.8	19.2
1962	2,332,000	56,356	13,701	42,655	24.7	6.0	18.7
1963	2,430,000	59,491	14,425	45,066	25.0	6.1	18.9
1964	2,526,000	63,544	15,491	48,053	25.6	6.3	19.3
1965	2,598,000	66,146	16,261	49,885	25.8	6.3	19.5	3.99
1966	2,657,000	67,148	16,582	50,566	25.6	6.3	19.3
1967	2,776,000	64,980	17,463	47,517	23.9	6.4	17.5
1968	2,841,000	69,911	18,689	51,222	24.9	6.7	18.2
1969	2,930,000	73,666	19,767	53,899	25.5	6.9	18.6
1970	3,022,000	80,843	21,234	59,609	27.2	7.1	20.1
1971	3,121,000	85,899	21,415	64,484	28.0	7.0	21.0
1972	3,225,000	85,544	22,719	62,825	27.0	7.2	19.8
1973	3,338,000	88,545	23,054	65,491	27.0	7.0	20.0
1974	3,422,000	93,166	24,135	69,031	27.6	7.1	20.5
1975	3,493,000	95,628	24,600	71,028	27.7	7.1	20.6	3.68
1976	3,575,000	98,763	24,012	74,751	27.9	6.8	21.1
1977	3,653,000	95,315	24,951	70,364	26.4	6.9	19.5
1978	3,738,000	92,602	25,153	67,449	25.1	6.8	18.3	3.28
1979	3,836,000	93,710	25,700	68,010	24.7	6.8	17.9	3.21
1980	3,922,000	94,321	26,364	67,957	24.3	6.8	17.5	3.14
1981	3,978,000	93,308	26,085	67,223	23.6	6.6	17.0	3.06
1982	4,064,000	96,695	27,780	68,915	24.0	6.9	17.1	3.12
1983	4,119,000	98,724	27,731	70,993	24.0	6.7	17.3	3.14
1984	4,200,000	98,478	27,805	70,673	23.3	6.6	16.7	3.13
1985	4,266,000	99,376	28,093	71,283	23.1	6.5	16.6	3.12
1986	4,331,000	99,341	29,415	69,926	22.7	6.7	16.0	3.09
1987	4,407,000	99,022	29,244	69,778	22.2	6.6	15.6	3.05
1988	4,477,000	100,454	29,176	71,278	22.2	6.4	15.8	3.06
1989	4,560,000	100,757	28,580	72,177	22.1	6.3	15.8	3.03
1990	4,822,000	103,349	28,734	74,615	22.0	6.1	15.9	3.02
1991	5,059,000	105,725	31,266	74,459	21.4	6.3	15.1	2.91
1992	5,196,000	110,062	33,327	76,735	21.5	6.5	15.0	2.93
1993	5,328,000	112,330	33,000	79,330	21.3	6.3	15.0	2.92
1994	5,472,000	114,543	33,535	81,008	21.2	6.2	15.0	2.90
1995	5,612,000	116,886	35,348	81,538	21.1	6.4	14.7	2.88
1996	5,758,000	121,333	34,664	86,669	21.3	6.1	15.2	2.94
1997	5,900,000	124,478	36,124	88,354	21.4	6.2	15.2	2.93
1998	6,041,000	130,080	36,955	93,125	21.8	6.2	15.6	2.98
1999	6,209,000	131,936	37,291	94,645	21.6	6.1	15.5	2.94
2000	6,369,000	136,390	37,688	98,702	21.7	6.0	15.7	2.95
2001	6,509,000	136,636	37,186	99,450	21.2	5.8	15.4	2.89
2002	6,631,000	139,535	38,415	101,120	21.2	5.8	15.4	2.89
2003	6,748,000	144,936	38,499	106,437	21.7	5.8	15.9	2.95
2004	6,870,000	145,207	37,938	107,269	21.3	5.6	15.7	2.90
2005	6,991,000	143,913	39,038	104,875	20.8	5.6	15.2	2.84
2006	7,117,000	148,170	38,765	109,405	21.0	5.5	15.5	2.88
2007	7,244,000	151,679	39,813	111,866	21.1	5.5	15.6	2.90
2008	7,419,000	156,923	39,484	117,439	21.5	5.4	16.1	2.96
2009	7,552,000	161,042	38,812	122,230	21.5	5.2	16.3	2.96
2010	7,695,000	166,255	39,613	126,642	21.8	5.2	16.6	3.03
2011	7,837,000	166,296	40,889	125,407	21.4	5.3	16.1	3.00
2012	7,984,000	170,940	42,100	128,840	21.6	5.3	16.3	3.05
2013	8,134,000	171,444	41,683	129,761	21.3	5.2	16.1	3.03
2014	8,297,000	176,427	42,457	133,970	21.5	5.2	16.3	3.08
2015	8,463,000	178,723	44,507	134,216	21.3	5.3	16.0	3.09
2016	8,629,000	181,405	44,244	137,161	21.2	5.2	16.0	3.11
2017	8,798,000	183,648	44,923	138,725	21.1	5.2	15.9	3.11
2018	8,968,000	184,370	44,802	139,568	20.8	5.0	15.8	3.09
2019	9,139,000	182,016	46,276	135,740	20.0	5.1	14.9	3.01
2020(p)	9,291,000	177,052	48,719	128,410	19.1	5.4	13.7

(p) = preliminar results

Current vital statistics

Births

• January–November 2019 = 166,409
• January–November 2020 = 162,339

Deaths

• January–November 2019 = 42,027
• January–November 2020 = 44,180

Natural increase

• January–November 2019 = 124,382
• January–November 2020 = 118,159

Structure of the population

Structure of the Israeli population (1 July 2012)

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	3 916 125	3 994 400	7 910 525	100
0–4	417 479	397 686	815 165	10,30
5–9	377 005	358 520	735 525	9,30
10–14	346 662	329 776	676 438	8,55
15–19	314 286	299 211	613 497	7,76
20–24	300 332	289 936	590 268	7,46
25–29	291 710	287 934	579 644	7,33
30–34	276 871	278 321	555 191	7,02
35–39	268 377	270 934	539 311	6,82
40–44	232 269	236 767	469 036	5,93
45–49	201 080	206 786	407 867	5,16
50–54	189 222	201 916	391 138	4,94
55–59	179 379	194 732	374 111	4,73
60–64	165 789	183 357	349 146	4,41
65–69	115 943	130 457	246 400	3,11
70–74	89 904	103 747	188 651	2,38
75–79	68 016	88 979	156 994	1,98
80–84	46 204	67 535	113 739	1,44
85–89	26 669	45 650	72 319	0,91
90–94	10 499	16 451	26 950	0,34
95–99	2 418	4 374	6 792	0,09
100+	1 012	1 331	2 342	0,03

Structure of the population (1 July 2012)

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	1 141 146	1 085 982	2 227 128	28,15
15–64	2 419 314	2 449 894	4 869 208	61,55
65+	355 665	458 524	814 189	10,29

Death rate

• 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2015 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

• 1.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)

There were a total of 28,629 immigrants who made Aliyah to Israel in 2019 (jan-oct):

12,722 from Russia; 5,247 from Ukraine; 2,470 from the United States; 276 from Canada; 143 from Australia;  1,996 from France;  469 from the UK; 350 from Brazil; 321 from South Africa; 93 from Venezuela; 127 from Mexico; 143 from Turkey; 57 from Iran; 14 from Thailand and 5 from Japan.

Emigration

For many years definitive data on Israeli emigration was unavailable. In The Israeli Diaspora sociologist Stephen J. Gold maintains that calculation of Jewish emigration has been a contentious issue, explaining, "Since Zionism, the philosophy that underlies the existence of the Jewish state, calls for return home of the world's Jews, the opposite movement—Israelis leaving the Jewish state to reside elsewhere—clearly presents an ideological and demographic problem."

In the past several decades, emigration (yerida) has seen a considerable increase. From 1990 to 2005, 230,000 Israelis left the country; a large proportion of these departures included people who initially immigrated to Israel and then reversed their course (48% of all post-1990 departures and even 60% of 2003 and 2004 departures were former immigrants to Israel). 8% of Jewish immigrants in the post-1990 period left Israel, while 15% of non-Jewish immigrants did. In 2005 alone, 21,500 Israelis left the country and had not yet returned at the end of 2006; among them 73% were Jews, 5% Arabs, and 22% "Others" (mostly non-Jewish immigrants, with Jewish ancestry, from USSR). At the same time, 10,500 Israelis came back to Israel after over one year abroad; 84% were Jews, 9% Others, and 7% Arabs.

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, as of 2005, 650,000 Israelis had left the country for over one year and not returned. Of them, 530,000 are still alive today. This number does not include the children born overseas. It should also be noted that Israeli law grants citizenship only to the first generation of children born to Israeli emigrants.

Density

Population density per square kilometer, by district, sub-district and geographical area

Geographic deployment:

• Central District: 24% (1,649,800)
• Tel Aviv District: 17% (1,190,000)
• Northern District: 17% (1,185,400)
• Southern District: 14% (1,002,400)
• Haifa District: 12% (858,000)
• Jerusalem District: 12% (851,400)
• Judea and Samaria Area (Israelis only): 5.1% (407,100) (2015)

Sex ratio

• At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
• Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
• 15–64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
• Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

• 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2010).

Infant mortality rate

• Total: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births
• Male: 4.20 deaths/1,000 live births
• Female: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

• Total population: 82.4 years
• Male: 80.7 years
• Female: 84.2 years (2016)

Average life expectancy at age 0 of the total population.

Period	Life expectancy	Period	Life expectancy
1950–1955	68.9	1985–1990	75.9
1955–1960	70.0	1990–1995	77.2
1960–1965	71.0	1995–2000	78.3
1965–1970	71.8	2000–2005	79.6
1970–1975	72.6	2005–2010	80.9
1975–1980	73.5	2010–2015	81.9
1980–1985	74.6

Total fertility rate

The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that an average woman would have, in her lifetime.

• 3.01 children born/woman (2019)

-

Year	Jews	Muslims	Christians	Druze	Others	Total
2000	2.66	4.74	2.55	3.07		2.95
2001	2.59	4.71	2.46	3.02		2.89
2002	2.64	4.58	2.29	2.77		2.89
2003	2.73	4.50	2.31	2.85		2.95
2004	2.71	4.36	2.13	2.66	1.47	2.90
2005	2.69	4.03	2.15	2.59	1.49	2.84
2006	2.75	3.97	2.14	2.64	1.55	2.88
2007	2.80	3.90	2.13	2.49	1.49	2.90
2008	2.88	3.84	2.11	2.49	1.57	2.96
2009	2.90	3.73	2.15	2.49	1.56	2.96
2010	2.97	3.75	2.14	2.48	1.64	3.03
2011	2.98	3.51	2.19	2.33	1.75	3.00
2012	3.04	3.54	2.17	2.26	1.68	3.05
2013	3.05	3.35	2.13	2.21	1.68	3.03
2014	3.11	3.35	2.27	2.20	1.72	3.08
2015	3.13	3.32	2.12	2.19	1.72	3.09
2016	3.16	3.29	2.05	2.21	1.64	3.11
2017	3.16	3.37	1.93	2.10	1.58	3.11
2018	3.17	3.20	2.06	2.16	1.54	3.09
2019	3.09	3.16	1.80	2.02	1.45	3.01

Jewish total fertility rate increased by 10.2% during 1998–2009, and was recorded at 2.90 during 2009. During the same time period, Arab TFR decreased by 20.5%. Muslim TFR was measured at 3.73 for 2009. During 2000, the Arab TFR in Jerusalem (4.43) was higher than that of the Jews residing there (3.79). But as of 2009, Jewish TFR in Jerusalem was measured higher than the Arab TFR (2010: 4.26 vs 3.85, 2009: 4.16 vs 3.87). TFR for Arab residents in the West Bank was measured at 2.91 in 2013, while that for the Jewish residents was reported at 5.10 children per woman.

The ethnic group with highest recorded TFR is the Bedouin of Negev. Their TFR was reported at 10.06 in 1998, and 5.73 in 2009. TFR is also very high among Haredi Jews. For Ashkenazi Haredim, the TFR rose from 6.91 in 1980 to 8.51 in 1996. The figure for 2008 is estimated to be even higher. TFR for Sephardi/Mizrahi Haredim rose from 4.57 in 1980 to 6.57 in 1996.

Health expenditures

• 7.6% of total GDP (2010)

Physicians density

• 3.63 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density

• 3.5 beds/1,000 population (2010)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

• 0.2% (2009 est.)

Obesity – adult prevalence rate

• 26% of women and 40% of men are overweight. In both genders, obesity rate is 15% (as of 2011).

Education expenditures

• 5.9% of total GDP (2009)

Literacy

Age 15 and over can read and write (2011 estimate):

• Total population: 97.8%
• Male: 98.7%
• Female: 96.8%

Graph of Total Fertility Rate vs. GDP (PPP) per capita of each country, including Israel, 2015.

Future projections

In June 2013, the Central Bureau of Statistics released a demographic report, projecting that Israel's population would grow to 11.4 million by 2035, with the Jewish population numbering 8.3 million, or 73% of the population, and the Arab population at 2.6 million, or 23%. This includes some 2.3 million Muslims (20% of the population), 185,000 Druze, and 152,000 Christians. The report predicts that the Israeli population growth rate will decline to 1.4% annually, with growth in the Muslim population remaining higher than the Jewish population until 2035, at which point the Jewish population will begin growing the fastest.

In 2017, the Central Bureau of Statistics projected that Israel's population would rise to about 18 million by 2059, including 14.4 million Jews and 3.6 million Arabs. Of the Jewish population, about 5.25 million would be ultra-Orthodox Jews. Overall, the forecast projected that 49% of the population would be either ultra-Orthodox Jews (29%) or Arabs (20%). It also projected a population of 20 million in 2065. Jews and other non-Arabs are expected to comprise 81% of the population in 2065, and Arabs 19%. About 32% of the population is expected to be Haredi.

Other forecasts project that Israel could have a population as high as 23 million, or even 36 million, by 2050.

See also

• Aliyah
• Crime in Israel
• Culture of Israel
• Demographic history of Palestine (region)
• Demographics of the Middle East
• Demographics of the Palestinian territories
• Health care in Israel
• Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
• Jewish population by country
• Standard of living in Israel
• Women in Israel

Further reading

• DellaPergola, Sergio (2001). Demography in Israel/Palestine: Trends, Prospects, Policy Implications (PDF). The Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
• Goldscheider, Calvin (2002). Israel's Changing Society: Population, Ethnicity & Development. Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-3917-7.
• Tal, Alon (February 2017). "The Land Is Full: Addressing Overpopulation in Israel". Foreign Affairs. Book review by John Waterbury.
• Videos of academic lectures posted on the official YouTube VOD (video on demand) channel of Tel Aviv University:
  • Rabinowitz, Dan (18 November 2012). "The Sacred Cow of Israel: The Environmental Implications of Zionism's Population Policy". (28 min)
  • Dayan, Tamar (18 November 2012). "Population Increase and the Impact on Biodiversity in Israel". (16 min)
  • Ehrlich, Paul; Rabinowitz, Dan; Dayan, Tamar (18 November 2012). "Questions & Answers Panel". (31 min)

External links

• Official website of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
• Population of Israel by the Tourism Ministry
• Israel. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
• Issues in Israeli Society at the Jewish Agency for Israel
• Template:Curlie