At 70, Israel's population nears 9m

Israel Independence Day celebrations photo: Reuters
Israel Independence Day celebrations photo: Reuters

The population of Israel has grown ten-fold since the state was founded in 1948.

The Central Bureau of Statistics has published up-to-date numbers in advance of Independence Day marking 70 years since the State of Israel was founded. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel's population has grown ten-fold since the foundation of the state, from 806,000 in May 1948 to 8.84 million today. On Israel's 100th Independence Day in 2048, the country's population is projected to reach 15.2 million.

The Jewish population is 6.59 million (74.5% of the total); the Arab population is 1.85 million (20.9%); and others (non-Arab Christians, members of other religions and those unclassified by religion in the population registry) number 404,000 (4.6%).

Since Independence Day last year, Israel's population has grown by 163,000 souls, or 1.9%. 177,000 babies were born, and 41,000 people died. Some 28,000 immigrants arrived.

3.2 million people have immigrated to Israel since the state was founded. The two largest waves of immigration were from the foundation of the state until the 1950s, when the population doubled within four years (more than 700,000 immigrants), and the wave in the 1990s, when the population rose by 10% (more than 900,000 immigrants).

In 1949, there were about 500 settlements in Israel. In 2016, there were no fewer than 1,214. Today, nearly half the population (44%) is concentrated in the fifteen largest cities, numbering over 100,000 residents each. The largest city is Jerusalem (882,000 residents). The smallest urban settlement in 2016 was Kfar Vitkin, with about 2,000 residents. Shtulim is the largest rural settlement, also with about 2,000 residents, while the smallest is Neve Zohar, with just 70 residents.

In 1948, average life expectancy in Israel was 64 for men and 67 for women. Today, the figures are 80.7 for men and 84.2 for women. When the state was founded, just 3% of the population owned cars. Today, 70% own at least one vehicle. 43% of the population owned their own homes when the state was founded. Today, 68% own their own homes. In 1948, Israel welcomed 33,100 tourists and visitors. In 2017, the number was 3,863,400. In the reverse direction, Israelis made about 30,000 trips overseas in 1948. In 2017, the number of overseas trips was 7,597,400.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 16, 2018

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2018

Israel Independence Day celebrations photo: Reuters
Israel Independence Day celebrations photo: Reuters
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