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Demographics of Israel |
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Israel, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populous, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The growth rate of the Arab population in Israel is 2.5%, while the growth rate of the Jewish population in Israel is 1.4%. The growth rate of the both Jewish and Arab population is slowing down from 3.3% in 1999 to 2.5% in 2006 for Arab and 1.8% to 1.4% for Jew. The fastest growing segment of population remain to be Arab Muslim with the latest growth rate of 2.8% for 2007. 3
20.8 births/1,000 population (2005)
In 2006, there were a total of 148,170 births. (143,913 in 2005 & 136,390 in 2000). Of this number, 104,513 were to Jewish mothers. (100,657 in 2005 and 91,936 in 2000). 34,337 were to Muslim mothers (34,217 in 2005, 35,740 in 2000). 2,601 to Druze (2,533 in 2005 & 2,708 in 2000). 2,500 to Christians (2,487 in 2005 & 2,789 in 2000).
According to research culled by Haaretz, between the mid-1980s and 2000, the birthrate in the Muslim sector was stable at 4.6-4.7 children per woman; After 2001 a gradual decline became evident, reaching 4.0 children per woman in 2005. By point of comparison, in 2005 there was a stable birthrate of 2.6-2.7 children among the Jewish population.4
6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
There were a total of 38,666 deaths in 2006. (39,026 in 2005 & 37,688 in 2000). Of this 33,568 were Jews (34,031 in 2005 & 33,421 in 2000). 3,078 were Muslims (2,968 in 2005 & 2,683 in 2000). 360 were Druze (363 in 2005 & 305 in 2000). 712 were Christian (686 in 2005 & 666 in 2000).citation needed
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3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
There were a total of 19,269 immigrants in 2006: 7,472 from the Former Soviet Union, 3,595 from Ethiopia, 2,411 from France, 2,159 from the United States, 594 from the United Kingdom, 304 from India, 293 from Argentina, 232 from Brazil, 228 from Canada, 142 from Colombia, 134 from Venezuela, 114 from South Africa, 112 from Germany, 91 from Belgium, 91 from Central America, 85 from Switzerland, 73 from Uruguay, 72 from Mexico, 66 from Oceania, 63 from Hungary, 61 from Chile, 50 from Romania and 50 from the Netherlands.
For many years definitive data on Israeli emigration was unavailable.5 In The Israeli Diaspora sociologist Stephen J. Gold maintains that calculation of Jewish emigration has been a contentious issue, explaining, "Since Zionism, the philosophy that underlies the existence of the Jewish state, calls for return home of the world's Jews, the opposite movement - Israelis leaving the Jewish state to reside elsewhere - clearly presents an ideological and demographic problem."6
In the past several decades, emigration (yerida) has seen a considerable increase. From 1990 to 2005, 230,000 Israelis left the country; a large proportion of these departures included people who initially immigrated to Israel and then reversed their course (48% of all post-1990 departures and even 60% of 2003 and 2004 departures were former immigrants to Israel). 8% of Jewish immigrants in the post-1990 period left Israel, while 15% of non-Jewish immigrants did. In 2005 alone, 21,500 Israelis left the country and had not yet returned at the end of 2006; among them 73% were Jews, 5% Arabs, and 22% "Others" (mostly non-Jewish immigrants from USSR). At the same time, 10,500 Israelis came back to Israel after over one year abroad; 84% were Jews, 9% Others, and 7% Arabs. 7
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, as of 2005, 650,000 Israelis had left the country for over one year and not returned. Of them, 530,000 are still alive today. This number does not include the children born overseas. It should also be noted that Israeli law grants citizenship only to the first generation of children born to Israeli emigrants.
In Israel, the total fertility rate (TFR) is 2.88 children born per woman.
TFR was 2.75 for Jews (2.69 in 2005, 2.67 in 2000), 3.97 for Muslims (4.03 in 2005, 4.57 in 2000), 2.64 for Druze (2.59 in 2005, 2.87 in 2000), 2.14 for Christians (2.15 in 2005, 2.35 in 2000) and 1.55 for Others (1.49 in 2005, 1.55 in 2000).
TFR is very high among Haredi Jews. For Ashkenazi Haredim, the TFR rose to 8.51 in 1996 from 6.91 in 1980. The figure for 2006 is estimated to be even higher. TFR for Sephardi/Mizrachi Haredim rose from 4.57 in 1980 to 6.57 in 1996.8
According to the 2008 Israeli census, Israel's population of 7,282,000 is broken down into the following ethnic groups: 9
These data include legal citizens of the State of Israel, not including any Muslim, Christian, or other citizen living under areas administrated by the Palestinian Authority. 10
Among Jews, 68% were Sabras (Israeli-born), mostly second or third generation Israelis, and the rest are olim — 22% from Europe and the Americas, and 10% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.11
Note: the Greek are considered Romaniotes, and many of the Bulgarian and a portion of Latin American Jews are considered Sephardic. These groups claim distinct cultures and histories.
In Israel there are approximately 300,000 citizens with Jewish ancestry who are not Jewish according to the Jewish law (mostly immigrants from the former USSR). Of this number approximately 10% are Christian and 89% are either Jewish or non-religious. Only a small number of them (c.2,000) convert every year to Judaism, while immigration from FSU adds thousands to their number every year. The total number of conversions under the Nativ program of IDF was 640 in 2005 and 450 in 2006. From 2002 to 2007 October 1, a total of 2,213 soldiers have converted under Nativ. 12 In 2003, 437 Christians converted to Judaism, in 2004 – 884, and in 2005 – 733. 13 It should be noted that recently several thousand conversions conducted by the Chief Rabbinate under the leadership of Rabbi Chaim Drukman have been annulled, and the official Jewish status over several thousand people who converted through the conversion court of the Chief Rabbinate since 1999 hangs in limbo as the proceedings continue regarding these individuals Jewish status. The vast majority of these individuals are former FSU immigrants. <http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3538630,00.html>
Arab citizens of Israel are those Arabs who remained within Israel's borders during the 1948 Palestinian exodus following the establishment of the state of Israel, including those born within the state borders subsequent to this time, as well as those who had left during the exodus (or their descendants) who have since re-entered by means accepted as lawful residence by the Israeli state (primarily family reunifications).
About 82.6% of the Arab population in Israel is Muslim (largely Sunni and Shia denominations), around 9% is Christian (mostly Catholics and Orthodox denominations) and another 9% is Druze.
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel, currently, 110,000 Bedouins live in the Negev, 50,000 in the Galilee and 10,000 in the central region of Israel.14
All of the Druze living in what was then British Mandate Palestine became Israeli citizens after the declaration of the State of Israel. Though some individuals identify themselves as "Palestinian Druze",15 most Druze do not consider themselves to be Palestinian, and consider their Israeli identity stronger than their Arab identity
...their Arab identity emanates in the main from the common language and their socio-cultural background, but is detached from any national political conception. It is not directed at Arab countries or Arab nationality or the Palestinian people, and does not express sharing any fate with them. From this point of view, their identity is Israel, and this identity is stronger than their Arab identity.16
Israeli Druze numbered an estimated 117,500 at the end of 2006.17
More than 5,000 Armenians reside in Israel mostly in Jerusalem (including in the Armenian Quarter), but also in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jaffa and the West Bank. Armenians have a Patriarchate in Jerusalem and churches in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Haifa and Jaffa.
In Israel, there are also a few thousand Circassians, living mostly in Kfar Kama (2,000) and Reyhaniye (1,000).18 These two villages were a part of a greater group of Circassian villages around the Golan Heights. The Circassians in Israel enjoy, like Druzes, a status aparte. Male Circassians (at their leader's request) are mandated for military service, while females are not.
Small populations of other groups reside in Israel:
Religious Makeup of Israel
| Ethnic group | Population | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish | 5,435,900 | 76.0% |
| Arab (Includes East Jerusalem Arabs) | 1,375,600 | 19.4% |
| Other | 302,400 | 4.6% |
| Religion | Population | % of total |
| Jewish | 5,435,900 | 76.0% |
| Muslim | 1,142,000 | 15.9% |
| Christian | 120,000 | 1.8% |
| Druze | 115,200 | 1.7% |
| Unclassified by choice | 302,400 | 4.6% |
Official figures do not exist as to the number of atheists or otherwise non-affiliated individuals, who may comprise up to a quarter of the population referred to as Jewish. According to a 2004 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics Study on Israelis aged over 8% of Israeli Jews define themselves as haredim (or Ultra-Orthodox); an additional 9% are "religious" (predominantly orthodox, also known in Israel as: Zionist-religious, national-religious and kippot srugot); 12% consider themselves "religious-traditionalists" (mostly adhering to Jewish Halakha); 27% are "non-religious traditionalists" (only partly respecting the Jewish Halakha), and 43% are "secular". Among the seculars, 53% say they believe in God. Due to the higher natality rate of religious and traditionalists over seculars, the share of religious and traditionalists among the overall population is even higher.
Due to its immigrant nature, Israel is one of the most multicultural and multilingual societies in the world. Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages in the country, while English, Russian, Yiddish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Amharic, Armenian, Ladino, French, Spanish, German, Vietnamese, Thai, Tagalog and Polish are the most commonly used foreign languages.citation needed A certain degree of English is spoken virtually universally, and is the language of choice for many Israeli businesses. Courses on English Language is mandatory in the Israeli school system, and most schools offer either Arabic, Spanish, German or French.
The definition of literacy: Age 15 and over can read and write.
Education between ages 5 and 18 is compulsory. It is not free, but may be subsidized by the government, individual organizations (such as the Beit Yaakov System) or a combination. Parents are expected to participate in costs as well. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, and either 6-year secondary schools or 3-year junior secondary schools + 3-year senior secondary schools (depending on region), after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions. See Education in israel and the List of universities and colleges in Israel for more information.
As Israel's continued existence as a "Jewish State" relies upon maintenance of a Jewish demographic majority, Israeli demographers, politicians and bureaucrats have treated Jewish population growth promotion as a central question in their research and policymaking. Non-Jewish population growth and immigration is regarded as a threat to the Jewish demographic majority and to Israel's security, as detailed in the Koenig Memorandum.
According to Jewish National Fund Board member Daniel Orenstein, Israel is the second most-densely crowded country in the developed world. In an academic article, Orenstein argues that, as elsewhere, overpopulation is a stressor on the environment in Israel; he shows that environmentalists have conspicuously failed to consider the impact of population on the environment and argues that overpopulation in Israel has not been appropriately addressed for ideological reasons.1920
During the 1970s about 163,000 people immigrated to Israel from the USSR. Later Ariel Sharon, in his capacity as Minister of Housing & Construction and member of the Ministerial Committee for Immigration & Absorption, launched an unprecedented large-scale construction effort to accommodate the new Russian population in Israel so as to facilitate their smooth integration and encourage further Jewish immigration as an ongoing means of increasing the Jewish population of Israel.21
The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) 5763 was first passed on 31 July 2003 and has since been extended until 31 July 2008. The law places age restrictions for the automatic granting of Israeli citizenship and residency permits to spouses of Israeli citizens, such that spouses who are inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are ineligible. On May 8, 2005, The Israeli ministerial committee for issues of legislation once again amended the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, to restrict citizenship and residence in Israel only to Palestinian men over the age of 35, and Palestinian women over the age of 25. Those in favor of the law say the law not only limits the possibility of the entrance of terrorists into Israel, but, as Ze'ev Boim asserts, allows Israel "to maintain the state's democratic nature, but also its Jewish nature" (i.e. it's Jewish demographic majority).22 Critics, including the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,23 say the law disproportionately affects Arab citizens of Israel, since Arabs in Israel are far more likely to have spouses from the West Bank and Gaza Strip than other Israeli citizens.24
(2005). Gefen Publishing House.
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