Jewish population

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This article is about the current Jewish population. For historical numbers, see Historical Jewish population comparisons. For different regions, see Jews by country and Jewish ethnic divisions. See also Who is a Jew?.

The Jewish population is the number of Jews in the world, something that is difficult to calculate, given the constant debates over the definition of Jew. All demographic numbers given in this article are estimates from the sources noted.

Contents

[edit] Total population

According to the World Jewish Population Survey of 2002[1], "The size of world Jewry at the beginning of 2002 is assessed at 13,296,100." According to a 2002 study by the Jewish Agency[2], "There are 12.9 million Jews in the world..."

Estimates for 2006 usually place the world population of Jews around 14 million. Adherents.com cites sources stating that there are 14 million Jews in the world in 1970, 1977, 1983, 1992, 1995, and 1998. Additional sources cite the population at numbers ranging from 12.8 million to 18.2 million.[3]

All of these estimates include approximately 4.5 million unaffiliated and secular Jews, as well as those who practice Judaism and belong to a congregation.

[edit] Largest populations

[edit] Top 50

This table represents data from 2002.

Top 50 by population
Rank Country Jews % Jewish % of World Total
1 United States 5,914,682 2% 40.5%
2 Israel 5,021,506 80% 34.4%
3 Russia 717,101 0.5% 4.91%
4 France 606,561 1% 4.16%
5 Argentina 595,379 2% 2.91%
6 Canada 393,660 1.2% 2.70%
7 United Kingdom 302,207 0.5% 2.07%
8 Brazil 295,125 0.071% 0.852%
9 Ukraine 142,276 0.3% 0.975%
10 Germany 107,160 0.13% 0.734%
11 Australia 90,406 0.45% 0.619%
12 South Africa 88,688 0.2% 0.608%
13 Belarus 72,103 0.7% <0.5%
14 Hungary 60,041 0.6% <0.5%
15 Mexico 53,101 0.05% <0.5%
16 Belgium 51,821 0.5% <0.5%
17 Spain 48,409 0.12% <0.5%
18 Netherlands 32,814 0.2% <0.5%
19 Moldova 31,187 0.7% <0.5%
20 Uruguay 30,743 0.9% <0.5%
21 Italy 30,213 0.052% <0.5%
22 Chile 25,375 0.131% <0.5%
23 Poland 24,999 0.065% <0.5%
24 Venezuela 20,900 0.1% <0.5%
25 Iran 20,405 0.03% <0.5%
26 Ethiopia 20,000 0.027% <0.5%
27 Sweden 18,003 0.2% <0.5%
28 Uzbekistan 17,453 0.065% <0.5%
29 Turkey 17,415 0.025% <0.5%
30 India 15,405 0.005% <0.5%
31 Switzerland 14,649 0.2% <0.5%
32 Panama 10,029 0.33% <0.5%
33 Latvia 9,092 0.397% <0.5%
34 Austria 8,184 0.1% <0.5%
35 Georgia 7,951 0.17% <0.5%
36 Azerbaijan 7,911 0.1% <0.5%
37 Denmark 7,062 0.13% <0.5%
38 Romania 6,029 0.027% <0.5%
39 New Zealand 5,447 0.135% <0.5%
40 Greece 5,334 0.05% <0.5%
41 Morocco 5,236 0.016% <0.5%
42 Kazakhstan 4,100 0.027% <0.5%
43 Lithuania 3,596 0.1% <0.5%
44 Colombia 3,436 0.008% <0.5%
45 Czech Republic 3,072 0.03% <0.5%
46 Slovakia 3,041 0.056% <0.5%
47 Peru 2,792 0.01% <0.5%
48 Costa Rica 2,409 0.06% <0.5%
49 Bulgaria 2,300 0.031% <0.5%
50 Estonia 1,818 0.136% <0.5%
Top 50 countries with the most Jews.
Enlarge
Top 50 countries with the most Jews.

[edit] Current population estimates

According to the World Jewish Population Survey of 2002[4], "The size of world Jewry at the beginning of 2002 is assessed at 13,296,100. World Jewry constituted about 2.19 per 1,000 of the world’s total population. One in about 457 people in the world is a Jew. According to the revised figures, between 2001 and 2002 the Jewish population grew by an estimated 44,000 people, or about 0.3 percent."

According to a 2002 study[5] by the Jewish Agency, "the number of Jews in the world is declining at an average of 50,000 per year."

The major population centers of the Jewish community are (Table from the World Jewish Population Survey)

Jewish Population 2002
     
Region Population Percent b
World 13,296,100 100.0
     
Americas, Total 6,776,300 49.7
 North c 6,064,000 45.6
 Central 52,500 0.4
 South 759,800 3.7
     
Europe, Total 1,558,500 11.7
 European Union 1,034,400 7.8
 Other West 19,600 0.1
 Former USSR d 410,000 3.1
 Other East and Balkans d 94,500 0.7
     
Asia, Total 5,069,900 38.1
 Israel h 5,025,000 37.8
 Former USSR d 25,000 0.2
 Other 19,900 0.1
     
Africa, Total 87,200 0.7
 North e 7,400 0.1
 South f 79,800 0.6
     
Oceania g 104,200 0.8

a January 1.
b Minor discrepancies due to rounding.
c U.S. and Canada.
d Asian regions of Russia and Turkey included in Europe.
e Including Ethiopia.
f South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other sub-Saharan countries.
g Australia, New Zealand.
h Including about 370,000 Jewish Israeli citizens living in the West Bank and Golan Heights.

[edit] Populations as a percentage

All estimates of population in this section are generated by taking the estimated percentage of Jews in each country, and multiplying it by the population of the country. Though figures given in the table may seem precise to many digits, they are often highly inaccurate, and can vary by significant margins from other published surveys. This data is intended to give rough estimates of the number of Jews in each country, more precise estimates for some countries are available above.

As an example, the tables below give the Jewish population of Argentina as 395,379 Jews in Argentina, generated from the fact that Jews are 1% of the population. The best survey-based sources generally estimate the number of Jews in Argentina at around 250,000[6], however, while still citing the Jews as 1% of the population. All the numbers below are similarly estimates, so the figures in the table below should be considered in the light of these variations, and should not be viewed as exact counts.

The percentage of Jewish population of each country was taken from the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2004[7], and, if not available on that site, from Jewish Population Tables[8]. The total population of each country was taken from census.gov [9] (2005 estimates).

These numbers are for Jews as an ethnicity; many, but not all, practice the religion of Judaism.

[edit] By country

Note: The total at the end shows the entire population of the world, not just the listed countries

Jews by country
Region Country Population (2005E) % Jewish Estimated number of Jews
Central Asia Jews in Afghanistan 29 928 987 0.000003307 1
North Africa Jews in Algeria 32,531,853 0.0003% 100
South America Jews in Argentina 39,537,943 2% 595,379
Middle East Jews in Armenia 2,982,904 0.025% 750
Oceania Jews in Australia 20,090,437 0.45% 90,406
Central Europe Jews in Austria 8,184,691 0.1% 8,184
Middle East Jews in Azerbaijan 7,911,974 0.1% 7,911
Middle East Jews in Bahrain 750,000 0.05% 40
Eastern Europe Jews in Belarus 10,300,483 0.7% 72,103
Western Europe Jews in Belgium 10,364,388 0.5% 51,821
South America Jews in Bolivia 8,857,870 0.006% 500
Balkans Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,025,476 0.025% 1,006
Southern Africa Jews in Botswana 1,640,115 0.006% 100
South America Jews in Brazil 186,112,794 0.081% 295,125
Balkans Jews in Bulgaria 7,450,349 0.031% 2,300
North America Jews in Canada 32,805,041 1.2% 393,660
South America Jews in Chile 15,980,912 0.131% 25,375
East Asia Jews in China 1,306,313,812 0.00008% 1,000
South America Jews in Colombia 42,954,279 0.008% 3,436
Central Africa Jews in Congo (Kinshasa) 60,085,004 0.0002% 120
Central America Jews in Costa Rica 4,016,173 0.06% 2,409
Balkans Jews in Croatia 4,495,904 0.4% 3000
North America Jews in Cuba 11,346,670 0.013% 1,500
Central Europe Jews in Czech Republic 10,241,138 0.03% 3,072
Western Europe Jews in Denmark 5,432,335 0.13% 7,062
Caribbean Jews in Dominican Republic 8,950,034 0.001% 100
South America Jews in Ecuador 13,363,593 0.007% 935
North Africa Jews in Egypt 77,505,756 0.0001% 100
Central America Jews in El Salvador 6,704,932 0.001% 100
East Africa Jews in Eritrea 4,401,000 0.00002% 1
Eastern Europe Jews in Estonia 1,332,893 0.136% 1,818
East Africa Jews in Ethiopia 73,053,286 0.027% 20,000
Western Europe Jews in Finland 5,223,442 0.021% 1,110
Western Europe Jews in France 60,656,178 1% 606,561
Middle East Jews in Georgia 4,677,401 0.17% 7,951
Western Europe Jews in Germany 82,431,390 0.13% 107,160
West Africa Jews in Ghana 18,412,247 0.0043% 800
Balkans Jews in Greece 10,668,354 0.05% 5,334
Central America Jews in Guatemala 14,655,189 0.008% 1,172
Central Europe Jews in Hungary 10,006,835 0.6% 60,041
Western Europe Jews in Iceland 300,000 0.003% 10
South Asia Jews in India 1,080,264,388 0.0005% 15,401
Middle East Jews in Iran 68,017,860 0.03% 20,405
Middle East Jews in Iraq 26,074,906 0.0004% 100
Western Europe Jews in Ireland 4,015,676 0.044% 1,790
Middle East Jews in Israel 6,276,883 80% 5,021,506
Western Europe Jews in Italy 58,103,033 0.052% 30,213
Caribbean Jews in Jamaica 2,731,832 0.011% 300
East Asia Jews in Japan 127,417,244 0.0008% 1,002
Central Asia Jews in Kazakhstan 15,185,844 0.027% 4,100
East Africa Jews in Kenya 33,829,590 0.001% 400
East Asia Jews in South Korea 48,422,644 0.0002% 100
Central Asia Jews in Kyrgyzstan 5,146,281 0.018% 926
Eastern Europe Jews in Latvia 2,290,765 0.42% 9,525
Middle East Jews in Lebanon 3,826,018 0.003% 100
Northern Africa Jews in Libya 3,826,018 0% 0
Eastern Europe Jews in Lithuania 3,596,617 0.1% 3,596
Western Europe Jews in Luxembourg 468,571 0.14% 655
Balkans Jews in Macedonia 2,045,262 0.0098% 200
North America Jews in Mexico 106,202,903 0.05% 53,101
Eastern Europe Jews in Moldova 4,455,421 0.7% 31,187
Balkans Jews in Montenegro 630,548 n.a. n.a.
North Africa Jews in Morocco 32,725,847 0.016% 5,236
Southern Africa Jews in Namibia 2,030,692 0.006% 115
Western Europe Jews in the Netherlands 16,507,491 0.2% 37,000
Oceania Jews in New Zealand 4,035,461 0.135% 5,447
West Africa Jews in Nigeria 128,771,988 0.00008% 10,000
Western Europe Jews in Norway 4,593,041 0.027% 1,240
South Asia Jews in Pakistan 165,803,560 0.000001% 200
Central America Jews in Panama 3,039,150 0.33% 10,029
South America Jews in Paraguay 6,347,884 0.016% 1,015
South America Jews in Peru 27,925,628 0.01% 2,792
Southeast Asia Jews in The Philippines 87,857,473 0.0001% 100
Central Europe Jews in Poland 38,635,144 0.065% 24,999
Western Europe Jews in Portugal 10,566,212 0.007% 739
Caribbean Jews in Puerto Rico 3,916,632 0.038% 1,488
Balkans Jews in Romania 22,329,977 0.027% 6,029
Eastern Europe Jews in Russia 143,420,309 0.5% 717,101
Balkans Jews in Serbia 9,778,991 0.022% 2,200
Southeast Asia Jews in Singapore 4,425,720 0.007% 300
Central Europe Jews in Slovakia 5,431,363 0.056% 3,041
Central Europe Jews in Slovenia 2,011,070 0.005% 100
Southern Africa Jews in South Africa 44,344,136 0.2% 88,688
Western Europe Jews in Spain 40,341,462 0.12% 48,409
South America Jews in Suriname 438,144 0.046% 200
Western Europe Jews in Sweden 9,001,774 0.2% 18,003
Western Europe Jews in Switzerland 7,489,370 0.2% 14,978
Middle East Jews in Syria 18,448,752 0.0005% 100
Central Asia Jews in Tajikistan 7,163,506 0.001% 100
Southeast Asia Jews in Thailand 65,444,371 0.0003% 199
Central America Jews in Trinidad and Tobago 1,088,644 0.1% 1,088
North Africa Jews in Tunisia 10,074,951 0.018% 1,813
Middle East Jews in Turkey 69,660,559 0.025% 17,415
Central Asia Jews in Turkmenistan 4,952,081 0.01% 495
East Africa Jews in Uganda 28,816,000 0.003% 750
Eastern Europe Jews in Ukraine 47,425,336 0.3% 142,276
Western Europe Jews in the United Kingdom 60,441,457 0.5% 302,207
North America Jews in the United States 295,734,134 2% 5,914,682
South America Jews in Uruguay 3,415,920 0.9% 30,743
Central Asia Jews in Uzbekistan 26,851,195 0.065% 17,453
South America Jews in Venezuela 25,375,281 0.1% 20,900
Middle East Jews in Yemen 20,727,063 0.001% 200
Southern Africa Jews in Zimbabwe 12,746,990 0.006% 764
Total 6,430,856,221 0.227% 14,596,217

[edit] By region

These percentages were calculated by using the above numbers. The first percentage, 4th column, is the percentage of population that is Jewish in a region (Jews in the region * 100/total population of the region). The last column shows the Jewish percentage compared to the total Jewish population of the world (Jews in the region * 100/total Jewish population of the world).

(Note: Egypt, Sudan, and the Arab Maghreb countries are counted as part of North Africa, not Middle East).

Jews in Africa
Region Total Population Jews % Jewish % of Jews total
Central Africa 83,121,055 1,000 0.0001% 0.0008%
East Africa 193,741,900 20,400 0.011% 0.14%
North Africa 202,151,323 7,249 0.004% 0.05%
Southern Africa 137,092,019 89,667 0.065% 0.614%
West Africa 268,997,245 42,000 0.00004% 0.0007%
Total 885,103,542 160,316 0.013% 0.805%


Jews in Asia
Region Total Population Jews % Jewish % of Jews total
Central Asia 92,019,166 23,074 0.025% 0.158%
East Asia 1,527,960,261 2,102 0.0001% 0.014%
Middle East 274,775,527 5,076,338 1.847% 34.779%
South Asia 1,437,326,682 15,401 0.0004% 0.037%
Southeast Asia 571,337,070 599 0.0001% 0.004%
Total 3,903,418,706 5,117,514 0.131% 34.993%


Jews in Europe
Region Total Population Jews % Jewish % of Jews total
Balkans 65,407,609 18,299 0.028% 0.125%
Central Europe 74,510,241 99,437 0.133% 0.681%
Eastern Europe 212,821,296 977,173 0.459% 6.695%
Western Europe 375,832,557 1,224,176 0.326% 8.387%
Total 728,571,703 2,319,085 0.318% 15.888%


Jews in The Americas
Region Total Population Jews % Jewish % of Jews total
Caribbean 23,809,622 1,888 0.008% 0.013%
Central America 42,223,849 14,798 0.035% 0.101%
North America 446,088,748 6,362,943 1.426% 43.594%
South America 371,075,531 796,400 0.555% 3.949%
Total 883,197,750 6,956,029 0.788% 47.657%


Jews in Oceania
Region Total Population Jews % Jewish % of Jews total
Oceania 30,564,520 95,853 0.314% 0.657%

[edit] Future population

In 1997, David Barrett estimated that there will be 25.5 million Jews in the year 2025.[10] The 2006 International Bulletin of Missionary Research[11] estimates that there will be 16,895,000 Jews in 2025.

[edit] References

  1. ^ World Jewish Population Survey of 2002
  2. ^ Number of Jews dropping, Israeli agency warns 4 December 2002
  3. ^ Judaism, continued... citations at Adherents.com
  4. ^ World Jewish Population Survey of 2002
  5. ^ Number of Jews dropping, Israeli agency warns 4 December 2002
  6. ^ Jews In Argentina
  7. ^ US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2004'
  8. ^ Jewish Population Tables
  9. ^ census.gov
  10. ^ From 'The Public Square' by Richard John Neuhaus, First Things 70 (February 1997): 58-74. http://www.firstthings.com/ as cited at Statistics 1997
  11. ^ International Bulletin of Missionary Research by David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson, January 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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