Israel’s population ticks toward 10 million milestone as it marks 76 years
Immigration drops by about half as growth rate slows slightly, but country should still surpass big 1-0 by the time Independence Day 2025 rolls around, statistics bureau says
Israel’s population has risen to approximately 9.9 million and is expected to surpass the 10 million mark by the time the country celebrates its 77th birthday next year, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday.
The country’s population grew by about 189,000 people, the agency said in an annual estimate released ahead of Israel’s 76th Independence Day, which will begin Monday night.
Overall, the country added 196,000 babies and 37,000 immigrants, while 60,000 people died since Israel marked 75 years of independence. While those figures add up to 173,000, the bureau noted that it also included those added to the population roll due to family unification, and those taken off the rolls for being abroad for more than a year. The bureau could not be reached for clarification.
The 1.9% population increase over last year marked a slight drop-off from the growth rate of 2.3% announced a year earlier, with immigration falling by about half from the 79,000 new arrivals the previous year.
According to the CBS, there are 7,247,000 Jewish Israelis living in Israel, making up 73.2 percent of the population (down 0.03% from a year ago), while another 2,089,000, or 21.1% are Arab (up 0.01%) and 564,000, or 5.7% come from other minority groups (up 0.02%), including non-Arab Christians and those with no registered religion.
The bureau estimated that if current rates continue, “by next Independence Day Israel’s population will surpass 10 million souls.”
According to estimates published in 2018, the population is expected to reach 11.1 million by 2030 and 13.2 million by 2040. In Israel’s centenary year, 2048, the population is predicted to hit 15.2 million.
According to the same study, which assumes a “business as usual” growth curve, Israel’s population will hit 20 million in 2065, with 9.7 million non-Haredi Jews and assorted non-Arab minorities, 6.4 million ultra-Orthodox Jews and 3.8 million Arabs.
As of the end of 2022, 45% of the world’s total Jewish population was living in Israel, according to the statistics published Thursday, down 1% from a year earlier.
