Demographics of Israel

Demographics of Israel (including Israelis in West Bank)
Population pyramid of Israel, 2023 (numbers by age group)
Population9,842,000 (ca. 95th)
 • YearDecember 2023
 • SourceIsraeli CBS[1]
Density431/km2 (6th)
Growth rate1.9%
Birth rate21.5 births/1,000 (101st)
Death rate5.2 deaths/1,000 population (174th)
Life expectancy82.7 years (8th)
 • male80.7 years
 • female84.6 years
Fertility rate3.01 children born/woman (59th)
Infant mortality rate4.03 deaths/1,000 live births (25th)
Age structure
0–14 years28%
15–64 years60%
65 and over12%
Sex ratio
Total1.01 males/female
At birth1.05 males/female
Under 151.05 males/female
15–64 years1.03 males/female
65 and over0.78 males/female
Nationality
NationalityIsraelis
Major ethnicJews (7,208,000, 73.6%)[1]
Minor ethnicArabs (2,080,000, 21.1%)
Other (non-Jewish, non-Arab) 554,000 (5.7%)[1]
Language
OfficialHebrew
SpokenArabic, Russian, Yiddish

The demographics of Israel, monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, encompass various attributes that define the nation's populace. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has witnessed significant changes in its demographics. Formed as a homeland for the Jewish people, Israel has attracted Jewish immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics defines the population of Israel as including Jews living in all of the West Bank and Palestinians in East Jerusalem but excluding Palestinians anywhere in the rest of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and foreign workers anywhere in Israel. As of December 2023, this calculation stands at approximately 9,842,000 of whom:

  • 73.2% (about 7,208,000 people) are Jews, including about 503,000 living outside the self-defined borders of the State of Israel in the West Bank
  • 21.1% (around 2,080,000 people) are Israeli citizens classified as Arab, some identifying as Palestinian, and including Druze, Circassians, all other Muslims, Christian Arabs, Armenians (which Israel considers "Arab")[2]
  • An additional 5.7% (roughly 554,000 people) are classified as "others". This diverse group comprises those with Jewish ancestry but not recognized as Jewish by religious law, non-Jewish family members of Jewish immigrants, Christians other than Arabs and Armenians, and residents without a distinct ethnic or religious categorization.[2][1]

Israel's annual population growth rate stood at 2.0% in 2015, more than three times faster than the OECD average of around 0.6%.[3] With an average of three children per woman, Israel also has the highest fertility rate in the OECD by a considerable margin and much higher than the OECD average of 1.7.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d "Population of Israel on the Eve of 2024" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Central Bureau of Statistics, State of Israel. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Demographic characteristics - definitions and explanations (translation from Hebrerw into English)". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Population growth, OECD". OECD. 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Society at a Glance 2014 Highlights: ISRAEL, OECD" (PDF). OECD. 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.