Demographics of Israel

Total population
(As of 2009)
7,515,400
Life expectancy at birth
(As of 2008)
Men - 79.1
Women - 83.0
Density 321 persons / km2.
91% urban population

Distribution of the Jewish
population by Place of Birth:

68.8% were born in Israel
21.6% were born in Europe and America
9.6% born in Asia and Africa

Annual growth 1.8% (2005)
Religions
Jews 76%
Muslims 16%
Others (mostly those not classified
as affiliated with religion)
4%
Arab Christians 2.5%
Druze 1.5%
Education
Universities 8
Students 250,456
Literacy 95.5%

Men - 97.5%
Women - 93.5%

Health:
Hospitals 44
Doctors 25,000
Infant Mortality 4.3 to 1000 births
Jews 3.1
Arabs 7.7

The State of Israel had population of approximately 7,503,800 inhabitants as of December 2009.[1] 75.4% of them were Jewish (about 5,660,700 individuals), 20.3% were Arabs (About 1,523,900 inhabitants), while the remaining 4.3% (about 319,200 individuals) were defined as "others" (family members of Jewish immigrants who were not registered at the Interior Ministry as Jews, non-Arab Christians, non-Arab Muslims and residents who do not have a religious classification).

Contents

Ethnic and religious groups

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

Jews

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2008, of Israel's 7.3 million people, 75.6% were Jews of any background[1]. Among them, 70.3% were Sabras (Israeli-born), mostly second- or third-generation Israelis, and the rest are olim (Jewish immigrants to Israel) — 20.5% from Europe and the Americas, and 9.2% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.[2]

Arabs

Map of Arab population in 2000.

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

In 2006, the official number of Arab residents in Israel was 1,413,500 people, about 20% of Israel’s population. This figure include 209,000 Arabs (14% of the Israeli-Arab population) in east Jerusalem, also counted in the Palestinian statistics, although 98% of East Jerusalem Palestinians has either Israeli residency or Israeli citizenship.[3]

Most Arab citizens of Israel are Muslim, particularly of the Sunni branch of Islam, and there is a significant Arab Christian minority from various denominations, as well as Arab Druze, among other religious communities.

As of 2008, Arab citizens of Israel comprise just over 20% of the country's total population. About 82.6% of the Arab population in Israel is Sunni Muslim (with a very small minority of Shia), another 9% is Druze, and around 9% is Christian (mostly Eastern Orthodox and Catholic denominations).

The Arab 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 Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel, currently, 110,000 Bedouins live in the Negev, 50,000 in the Galilee and 10,000 in the central region of Israel.[4]

The Arab citizens of Israel include also the Druze who were numbered at an estimated 117,500 at the end of 2006.[5] All of the Druze living in what was then British Mandate Palestine became Israeli citizens after the declaration of the State of Israel. Though some individuals identify themselves as "Palestinian Druze",[6] most Druze do not consider themselves to be Palestinian, and consider their Israeli identity stronger than their Arab identity; indeed, 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 choose not to serve in the Israeli army.

Non-Arab and Non-Jew citizens

African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem

The African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem is a small spiritual group whose members believe they are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. 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. At least some of them consider themselves to be Jewish, but mainstream Judaism does not consider them to be Jewish.

Armenians

More than 5,000 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, Bethlehem, Haifa and Jaffa.

Assyrians

There are around 1,000 Assyrians living in Israel, mostly in Jerusalem and Nazareth. 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.

Circassians

In Israel, there are also a few thousand Circassians, living mostly in Kfar Kama (2,000) and Reyhaniye (1,000).[7] 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.

Maronites

The Maronite Christian community in Israel of several thousands resides mostly in Galilee. It is largely composed of former pro-Israeli Lebanese militia members and their families, who fled Lebanon after 2000 withdrawal of IDF from South Lebanon, though some originate from local Galilee communities, like one in Jish.

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.

Others

Smaller prominent ethnic and religious groups, who currently live in the Israel and whom are Israeli citizens or nationals, include:

Religious affiliation

Religious Makeup of Israel (end of 2008)[8] [9]
Religion Population % of total
Jewish &Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","5,569,200 75.5%
Muslim &Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","1,240,000 16.8%
Christian &Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","153,100 2.1%
Druze &Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","121,900 1.7%
Unclassified by choice &Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","289,800 3.9%
Year Jews Muslims Muslim Percentage
1946 608.2 1,076.8 58.35%
1950 1,203.0 116.1 8.80%
1972 2,752.7 360.6 11.58%
1995 4,522.3 811.2 15.21%
2000 4,955.4 970.0 16.73%

According to a 2004 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics Study on Israelis aged over 18, 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.

Population

Population growth (1949 - 2008)

Total population

(End of 2009)

Sex ratio

(2006)

Age Structure

(2008)

Population Growth Rate

(2008)

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 Arab population in Israel is 2.6%, while the growth rate of the Jewish population in Israel is 1.7%. The growth rate of the both Jewish and Arab population has slowed from 3.8% in 1999 to 2.6% in 2008 for Arab and 2.7% to 1.7% for the Jewish population. The fastest growing segment of population remain to be Arab Muslim with the latest growth rate of 2.8% for 2008.[8]

Density

Population density per square kilometer, by districts and Provinces
District / Province 1948 1961 1972 1983 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006
Total 43.1 107.6 154.8 186.7 220.4 247.4 278.7 305.2 310.5
Jerusalem District 159.5 344.5 554.0 754.2 922.4 1,035.6 1,163.0 1,303.8 1,332.4
Tel Aviv District 1,834.0 4,113.5 5,336.7 5,883.8 6,439.4 6,678.6 6,747.2 6,918.5 6,997.2
Haifa District 209.2 433.6 566.5 673.7 768.4 860.9 948.4 990.8 998.0
Haifa Province 452.4 976.0 1,260.5 1,447.2 1,623.1 1,701.0 1,800.8 1,797.6 1,796.9
Hadera Province 88.6 164.8 222.6 290.3 344.7 433.6 514.8 576.1 587.3
Central District 100.4 327.8 466.7 668.8 830.7 953.2 1,142.4 1,275.0 1,306.6
Sharon Province 108.2 294.7 412.3 547.1 678.4 790.8 924.0 1,044.0 1,069.6
Petah Tikva Province 175.6 480.6 714.0 1,047.5 1,316.0 1,502.3 1,733.6 1,992.2 2,043.9
Ramla Province 14.4 218.9 286.0 351.5 394.6 483.6 663.8 767.9 790.5
Rechovot Province 109.8 334.6 484.0 782.3 1,002.7 1,150.2 1,374.5 1,427.1 1,457.3
North District 44.2 101.4 142.3 145.7 178.9 211.4 241.9 265.0 269.0
Safad Province 16.4 67.9 84.4 96.6 110.8 122.8 135.2 145.4 146.2
Kinneret Province 38.2 83.1 95.2 120.2 142.9 154.8 179.3 184.0 185.4
Jezreel Province 50.3 100.4 145.1 194.2 237.5 286.5 327.6 356.0 361.0
Acre Province 59.6 136.8 206.6 295.2 369.8 440.3 506.3 567.9 578.4
Golan Province - - - 16.8 22.1 26.2 30.2 33.7 34.5
Southern District 1.5 12.3 25.1 33.9 40.7 53.0 63.2 70.7 72.0
Ashkelon Province 5.89 60.3 120.3 160.2 187.3 261.3 316.0 353.2 359.9
Be'er Sheva Province 1.1 7.6 15.7 21.4 26.1 32.4 38.1 43.0 43.8

Crude birth rate

20.8 births/1,000 population (2005)

Year Total births[11] Jewish mothers Muslim mothers Druze mothers Christian mothers
1996 121,333 83,710 30,802 2,682 2,678
2000 136,390 91,936 35,740 2,708 2,789
2005 143,913 100,657 34,217 2,533 2,487
2006 148,170 104,513 34,337 2,601 2,500
2007 151,679 107,986 34,572 2,510 2,521
2008 156,923 112,803 34,860 2,534 2,511

According to research culled by Haaretz, between the mid-1980s and 2000, the birthrate in the Muslim sector was stable at 4.6-4.7 children per woman; After 2001 a gradual decline became evident, reaching 3.84 children per woman in 2008. By point of comparison, in 2008 there was a slowly rising birthrate of 2.88 children among the Jewish population.[12] Note: www.data.un.org lists different birth rate amounts for 2007 (http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=SOWC&f=inID%3A75)However the CIA WORLD FACT BOOK shows that by 2009 the fertility rate had dropped to 2.7 births/ woman. [2] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html

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

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.

Emigration

For many years definitive data on Israeli emigration was unavailable.[13] 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."[14]

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.[15]

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.

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth (2006)

Total fertility rate (2008)

In Israel, the total fertility rate (TFR) is 2.96 children born per woman.

TFR was 2.88 for Jews (2.69 in 2005, 2.67 in 2000), 3.84 for Muslims (4.03 in 2005, 4.57 in 2000), 2.49 for Druze (2.59 in 2005, 2.87 in 2000), 2.11 for Christians (2.15 in 2005, 2.35 in 2000) and 1.57 for Others (1.49 in 2005, 1.55 in 2000).

TFR is very high among Haredi Jews. For Ashkenazi Haredim, the TFR rose to 8.51 in 1996 from 6.91 in 1980. The figure for 2008 is estimated to be even higher. TFR for Sephardi/Mizrachi Haredim rose from 4.57 in 1980 to 6.57 in 1996.[16]

Languages

Signs in Israel in Hebrew, Arabic and English

Due to its immigrant nature, Israel is one of the most multicultural and multilingual societies in the world. Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages in the country, while English and Russian are the two most widely spoken non official languages. Georgian, Yiddish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Amharic, Armenian, Ladino, French, Spanish, German, Vietnamese, Thai, Tagalog and Polish are the most commonly used foreign languages. A certain degree of English is spoken widely, and is the language of choice for many Israeli businesses. Courses of Hebrew and English language are mandatory in the Israeli school system, and most schools offer either Arabic, Spanish, German or French.

Literacy

The definition of literacy: Age 15 and over can read and write.

Education between ages 5 and 18 is compulsory. It is not free, but may be subsidized by the government, individual organizations (such as the Beit Yaakov System) or a combination. Parents are expected to participate in costs 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. See Education in israel and the List of universities and colleges in Israel for more information.

Israeli demographic policy

Comparison of the changes in percentages of the main religious group in Israel between the years 1949-2008

As Israel's continued existence as a "Jewish State" relies upon maintenance of a Jewish demographic majority, Israeli demographers, politicians and bureaucrats have treated Jewish population growth promotion as a central question in their research and policymaking. Non-Jewish population growth and immigration is regarded as a threat to the Jewish demographic majority and to Israel's security, as detailed in the Koenig Memorandum.

According to Jewish National Fund Board member Daniel Orenstein, Israel is the second most-densely crowded country in the developed world. In an academic article, 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.[17][18]

Russian immigration

During the 1970s about 163,000 people 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.[19]

Citizenship and Entry 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 May 8, 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).[20] Critics, including the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,[21] 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.[22]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Table B.1 - Population, Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, CBS
  2. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 2009, CBS. "Table 2.24 - Jews, by country of origin and age" (PDF). http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_24x&CYear=2009. Retrieved 2010-03-22. 
  3. "Selected Statistics on Jerusalem Day 2007 (Hebrew)". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2007-05-14. http://www.cbs.gov.il/hodaot2007n/11_07_084b.doc. 
  4. The Bedouin in Israel: Demography Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1999-07-01
  5. Table 2.2, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2007, No. 58.
  6. Yoav Stern & Jack Khoury (2007-05-02). "Balad's MK-to-be: 'Anti-Israelization' Conscientious Objector". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/854636.html. Retrieved 2007-07-29. For example, Said Nafa, a self-identified "Palestinian Druze" serves as the head of the Balad party's national council and founded the "Pact of Free Druze" in 2001, an organization that aims ";to stop the conscription of the Druze and claims the community is an inalienable part of the Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian nation at large."
  7. "Circassians in Israel". Circassian World. http://www.circassianworld.com/Israel.html. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Statistical Abstract of Israel, 2009, CBS. "Table 2.2 - Population, by religion" (PDF). http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_02&CYear=2009. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  9. Supplement to Survey of Palestine, 1946, British Mandate for Palestine. "Table 2.2 - Population, by religion (end of 1946)" (JPG). http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Books/Story832.html. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
  10. [1]
  11. Central Bureau of Statistics, Vital Statistics: Live births
  12. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 2009, CBS. "Table 3.13 - Fertility rates, by age and religion" (PDF). http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st03_13&CYear=2009. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  13. Henry Kamm. "Israeli emigration inspires anger and fear;" New York Times January 4, 1981
  14. Stephen J. Gold. The Israeli Diaspora; Routledge 2002, p.8
  15. ICBS 2005 departures and returns
  16. TFR for Mizrahi Haredim
  17. Orenstein, Daniel. "Population Growth and Environmental Impact: Ideology and Academic Discourse in Israel;" Population and Environment Volume 26, Number 1 / September, 2004
  18. Daniel Orenstein and Steven Hamburg."The JNF's Assault on the Negev"; The Jerusalem Report, November 28, 2005
  19. Prime Minister's Office: Sharon Bio
  20. Ben Lynfield. "Arab spouses face Israeli legal purge". The Scotsman. http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=721352006. 
  21. "UN blasts Israeli marriage law". BBC News. 2003-08-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3152651.stm. 
  22. "Israeli marriage law blocks citizenship for Palestinians". San Francisco Chronicle. 2003-08-01. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/01/MN110656.DTL. 

External links

(2005). Gefen Publishing House.