' fill='%230E4F97'%3E%3Cg id='Group-5' transform='translate(370.000000, 11.000000)'%3E%3Cg id='avatar' transform='translate(6.000000, 4.000000)'%3E%3Ccircle id='Oval' cx='8' cy='4' r='4'%3E%3C/circle%3E%3Cpath d='M7.12864205,10 L8.87135795,10 C11.558649,10 14.0087196,11.5384024 15.1762205,13.958831 L16,15.6666667 L16,15.6666667 L15.3374858,17.5134983 C15.228016,17.8186575 14.9774027,18.051811 14.6651459,18.1389975 L8,20 L8,20 L1.33485405,18.1389975 C1.02259733,18.051811 0.771984007,17.8186575 0.662514216,17.5134983 L0,15.6666667 L0,15.6666667 L0.823779545,13.958831 C1.99128041,11.5384024 4.44135104,10 7.12864205,10 Z' id='Rectangle'%3E%3C/path%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Israel’s population nears 10 million, a 12-fold increase since state’s 1948 founding
Central Bureau of Statistics releases figures ahead of nation’s 75th anniversary; 183,000 babies born last year, and 28% of population is below age of 14
The population of Israel is edging toward 10 million, making it a dozen times larger than it was on the day the Jewish state was established, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday ahead of the country’s 75th Independence Day celebrations.
There are 9,727,000 people living in Israel, the CBS said. Of those, 7,145,000 are Jewish, or 73.5 percent, along with 2,048,000 Arabs (21%) and 534,000 members of other minorities (5.5%).
Since last year, the population grew by 216,000 people, an increase of 2.3%. There were 183,000 babies born and 79,000 new immigrants arrived, while 51,000 people died.
Over a quarter of Israelis, 28%, are children aged 14 or under, while 12% are over the age of 65.
When the state was founded on May 14, 1948, there were 806,000 people living in the country, meaning it has grown twelve-fold over the decades.
The years in between have seen 3.3 million new immigrants arrive in the country. Nearly half of them — 43%, or 1.5 million — arrived since 1990.
By 2030, the population is expected to reach 11.1 million, and by 2040, 13.2 million. In Israel’s centenary year, 2048, the population is predicted to hit 15.2 million.
The CBS said that 60,000 people were born in the same year as the state, 1948, and that there are 3,300 people over the age of 100 in the country.
According to the figures, at the end of 2021, 46% of the world’s total Jewish population was living in Israel.
On the economic front, 2022 saw real growth per capita reach 4.4% compared to an average of 3.3% for countries in the European Union. Over the period 2012-2022, Israel’s real growth per capita reached 23.4%, the CBS said, compared to an average of 14.7% for EU countries.
Israel’s Independence Day begins on Tuesday evening with the conclusion of Memorial Day, which starts on Monday evening.
Independence Day celebrations continue on Wednesday with official ceremonies, air force flybys and other activities to mark the public holiday.
