Israeli population nearing 10 million ahead of Jewish New Year

By admin On Sep 13, 2023

About 9.8 million people are living in Israel, with the population expected to reach 10 million by the end of next year, according to data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

By the end of 2048, Israel’s population is expected to reach 15 million people.

Of the 9.8 million, 7.2 million (73%) are Jews and about 2.1 million (21%) are Arabs. Another 549,000 were from other sectors.

Olim on the 64th Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight pose with organization’s Co-founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart; Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Ofir Sofer; and Director-General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Avichai Kahana. (credit: SHACHAR AZRAN, YONIT SCHILLER)

Where did all the new people come from?

Israel’s population grew by about 194,000 people this past year, marking a 2% growth. Some 172,000 new babies were born and about 70,000 people moved to the country, including 66,000 new immigrants.

Though many moved abroad, many also returned to the nation. Around 16,800 people returned to Israel, with around 67,800 entering the country in total.

The population has also grown thanks to an increased birth rate. Some 181,193 live births were registered in 2022, averaging between 2 and 3 children per woman.

Of Israel’s fatalities, 22.8% of deaths were cancer-related and 9.5% of national deaths were related to the coronavirus. The nation has a rate of 1.7 hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants, and 4.8 nurses for the same.

However, more than 80% of Israel’s over-20 population has reported themselves as being in good health.

Between daycare and secondary education, there are around 1,914,700 students. Around 1,118,900 million are in primary school, 795,800 are in secondary, and 884,600 are in pre-school.

Israel is still lacking teachers, with only 204,000 teachers in the national system.

Some 180,000 students began grade 1 in the 2022-2023 school year, and approximately 142,000 students graduated high school in 2023, a 7.3% increase from the years prior.

Separately, in an address to the nation before Rosh Hashanah, President Isaac Herzog called for a greater engagement in “inclusive, vibrant, and empowering” global Jewish dialogue, necessary to overcome and move forward from the challenges Israeli and Diaspora Jews faced in the past year.

“While our differences can be painful, they also point to an important comforting truth: we all care deeply about our Jewish people, and our beloved Jewish and democratic state of Israel. It is okay to have differences,” he said.

Tzvi Joffre and Joanie Margulies contributed to this report.

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