Israel's Jewish population passes 7 million on eve of Rosh Hashanah

Jewish state now accounts for 46.2% of the 15.2 million Jews worldwide; the global figure rises to 25.5 million when counting those eligible for Law of Return

Israel’s Jewish population surpassed 7 million last year, as the number of Jews worldwide rose to 15.2 million, according to the Jewish Agency.

Statistics released Sunday before the start of Rosh Hashanah showed Israel added 130,000 more Jews over the past year. The country now accounts for 46.2 percent of world Jewry, up nearly a percent from the year before.

Following Israel, the United States has the second-largest Jewish population with around 6 million, a figure that was stable from the year before.

The other countries with the 10 largest Jewish populations were France (442,000), Canada (394,000), the United Kingdom (292,000), Argentina (173,000), Russia (145,000), Australia (118,200), Germany (118,000) and Brazil (91,000). The figures were based on estimates by professor Sergio Della Pergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Jewish Agency said the past year saw the largest number of Jews make aliyah — the Hebrew term for immigrating to Israel — in 20 years, with some 60,000 immigrants arriving from 93 countries.

Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, those two countries saw the largest number of Jews leave for Israel, with 26,000 and 14,000 respectively having arrived in the Jewish state as of September 1. Another 1,600 came from Belarus, a Russian ally that has served as a staging ground for Moscow’s forces.

New immigrants fleeing from Ukraine arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on March 15, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

From the US and Canada, 1,800 Jews moved to Israel over the past year, while 2,500 made aliyah from France and 1,100 from Argentina.

There were also 1,450 new immigrants from Ethiopia who were reunited with their families in Israel. Several thousand more still waiting to immigrate are estimated to be in Ethiopia, according to the Jewish Agency.

The statistics are based on self-identification as Jewish and not as any other religion. The Jewish Agency said when looking at those eligible to get citizenship under Israel’s Law of Return, which requires at least one Jewish grandparent, there are 25.5 million Jews worldwide.