Israeli population hits 8,904,373, census shows

New census figures released ahead of the Jewish New Year Sunday show the country’s population reaching nearly 9 million, with an increase of some 200,000 people.

The population of the State of Israel stands at 8,904,373,  according to the Population and Immigration Authority.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting that Israel’s population has surpassed 8 million in 2013, including a population of over 6 million Jews, a historically freighted figure equaling the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.

“This number has a dual significance in light of the path our nation has followed in the past century, as well as into this century,” he said Sunday morning.

The number of Jews living in Israel actually topped the 6 million mark in early 2013, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, a milestone marked by Netanyahu at the time.

“Six million Jews perished in the … Holocaust.” Netanyahu said at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in April 2013. “Today, for the first time since the establishment of the State, more than 6 million Jews live in the State of Israel. You, the citizens of Israel, are the testament to our victory. From the abyss of the Holocaust, we climbed to the peak of Zion. From a deep pit, we rose to a pinnacle. “

Israel absorbed 24,801 immigrants in the past calendar year, and to date, some 176,230 babies were born this year in Israel — 90,646 boys and 85,584 girls.

The 10 most popular names for boys were: Yosef, Daniel, Uri, Itai, Omer, Adam, Noam, Ariel, Eitan, David. Meanwhile, the baby girls were most commonly named Tamar, Noa, Shira, Adele, Talia, Yael, Leanne, Miriam, Maya, Avigail.

In addition, 75,848 Israelis got married since last Rosh Hashanah and 23,419 got divorced, according to the figures.