Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Israel population is at 10,305,000, up 1.2% over last year

Israel’s population is estimated at 10,305,000 people, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday in figures released ahead of the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Friday night.

They include 7,828,000 Jews and those classified as “other” (78.3% of Israelis), 2,173,000 Arabs (21.7%), and 304,000 foreign nationals residing in the country.

The Israeli population increased by 124,000 over the past year, representing a 1.2 percent growth.

During the past Jewish year, some 182,000 babies were born in Israel, and 50,000 people died.

The average life span in Israel is 81.4 years for men and 85.9 for women, the CBS reported.

Migration led the population to lose some 8,000 people overall, the statistics showed.

Some 24,000 new immigrants moved to Israel, and around 4,000 others came as part of family reunification (when an Israeli citizen requests citizenship for their non-Israeli spouse or child), and some 21,000 Israelis living abroad returned. But at the same time, 57,000 Israelis left the country.

Since the establishment of the state in 1948, 3.51 million people have immigrated to Israel.

Among Jews, a plurality of 36.9% are not religious, and another 21.8% consider themselves traditional but not very religious. Traditionally religious make up another 21.8%; Orthodox 12.4%; and ultra-Orthodox 11.5%

The CBS also reported that, as of January 1, 2026, there were 15.9 million Jews in the world, with just under half, 46%, living in Israel.