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") 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.
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%. 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.
Definitions The definition of what constitutes the population of Israel varies depending on which territories are counted and which population groups are counted in each territory.
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) definition of the Area of the State of Israel: includes East Jerusalem since 1967, which Israel unilaterally annexed includes the Golan Heights since 1982, which Israel unilaterally annexed excludes the West Bank other than East Jerusalem
The CBS' definition of the Population of Israel, however: includes non-Israeli Palestinians (as well as Israeli Arabs/Palestinians) in East Jerusalem who have permission to live there includes Israeli settlers and others with Israeli residency permits living in the Area C of West Bank excludes Palestinian/Arab/other residents of Area C and East Jerusalem who do not have Israeli citizenship or residence excludes persons who are not registered (from 2008 on) and/or entered illegally, and foreign workers.
Population
Total population (most current update from the Israeli Central Bureau for Statistics, via live feed)
Note: includes over 200,000 Israelis and 250,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem, about 421,400 Jewish settlers on the West Bank, and about 42,000 in the Golan Heights (July 2007 estimate). Does not include Arab populations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Does not include 222,000 foreigners living in the country.הודעות לעיתונות . Cbs.gov.il. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
+ Demographics of Israel and its Occupied Territories Region &Status By citizenship TotalPopulation YearSource By ethnoreligious group Area (km2) Israeli citizen Total Israelis YearSource Palestinian non-Israeli-citizens Year Jewish Arab Other Jews andOther Arab citizens of Israel Green Line De facto 1949–1967 bordersFigure calculated from other sourced figures in table 6,971,191 1,689,018 8,660,209 2021/-3/-4Derived from total CBS Population of Israel 31-Dec-2023 minus estimates for East Jerusalem Israelis and non-Israeli Palestinians, minus Golan Heights, minus 1/1/24 estimate of settlers in Area C 0 8,660,209 2021/-3/-4 6,422,76174% 1,689,01820% 554,0006% 20,582 Golan Heights Per Israel: annexedPer UN: Occupied Syrian territory 27,000 26,000 53,000Jews 27,000Druze 24,000Alawite 2,000 2021 0 2021 53,000 2021 27,000 26,000 0 1,154 East Jerusalem Per Israel: AnnexedPer UN: Occupied Palestinian territoryBBC News. Regions and territories: The Golan Heights.United Nations. Security Council Resolutions, 1981.Council on Foreign Relations. UN Security Council Resolution 497. 240,832 ~18,982 259,814 2021 351,570 2021"Total" and "Jewish/Other" figures from . From this number subtract 18,982 Arabs who have Israeli citizenship, viz. East Jerusalem consists of Areas 2111–2911, all of Quarters 1, 4, and 16; in Quarter 5 Giv'at Shapira (French Hill), Ramat Eshkol, Giv'at Hamivtar and Ma'alot Dafna (but not Shmuel Hanavi), and in Quarter 13 East Talpiot. 611,384 2021 240,832 370,552of whichArab citizens of Israel ~18,982 0 336 Area of the State of Israel as per CBS definition 22,072 West Bank Area C (Full Israeli control) Israelis 517,407 0 517,407 1/2024 not counted in population of Israel 2019 517,407 1/2024 517,407 not counted inpopulation of Israel 0 200 Population of Israel as per CBS definition 7,756,430 1,734,000 9,490,430~351,570East JerusalemPalestinians9,842,000 2023 7,208,000 2,080,000PCI* 1,734,000Non-PCI ~346,000 554,00025,650 Area C Palestinians counted in row above 0 counted in row above 300,000 2019 300,000 2019 300,000 0 West Bank Areas A & B (Under Palestinian civil administration) 0 2,464,566 2023Gaza Strip and West Bank (except Jerusalem) estimate for mid-2023 as per Subtract a further est. 300,000 from the West Bank number which is the est. no. of Palestinians living in Area C under full Israeli control. 2,464,566 2023 0 2,464,566 0 2,808 Gaza Strip (Under partial Palestinian administration) 0 2,226,544 mid-2023 2,226,544 mid-2023 0 2,226,544 0 365 Israel and Israeli-occupied territories 14,833,110 Sum 7,208,00048.6% 7,071,00047.7%Arab citizens of Israel:1,734,000 11.7%,Palestinian non-citizen:5,337,110 36.0% 554,0003.7% 28,823
Density
Geographic deployment, as of 2018: Central District: 24.5% (2,196,100) Tel Aviv District: 15.9% (1,427,200) Northern District: 16.2% (1,448,100) Southern District: 14.5% (1,302,000) Haifa District: 11.5% (1,032,800) Jerusalem District: 12.6% (1,133,700) Judea and Samaria Area (West Bank) (Israelis only): 4.8% (427,800)
Population growth rate 2.0% (2016)
During the 1990s, the Jewish population growth rate was about 3% per year, as a result of massive immigration to Israel, primarily from the republics of the former Soviet Union. There is also a very high population growth rate among certain Jewish groups, especially adherents of Orthodox Judaism. The growth rate of the Arab population in Israel is 2.2%, while the growth rate of the Jewish population in Israel is 1.8%. The growth rate of the Arab population has slowed from 3.8% in 1999 to 2.2% in 2013, and for the Jewish population, the growth rate declined from 2.7% to its lowest rate of 1.4% in 2005. Due to a rise in fertility of the Jewish population since 1995 and immigration, the growth rate has since risen to 1.8%.
Fertility
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that an average woman would have, in her lifetime.
3.01 children born/woman (2019) Jewish total fertility rate increased by 10.2% during 1998–2009, and was recorded at 2.90 during 2009. During the same time period, Arab TFR decreased by 20.5%. Muslim TFR was measured at 3.73 for 2009, and 2.9 for 2022.
In 2000, the Jewish and Arab TFRs in Jerusalem were 3.79 and 4.43 respectively. By 2009, the Jewish TFR in Jerusalem was measured higher than the Arab TFR (2010: 4.26 vs 3.85, 2009: 4.16 vs 3.87). As of 2021, the Jewish and Arab TFRs in Jerusalem were 4.4 and 3.1 respectively. TFR for Arab residents in the West Bank was measured at 2.91 in 2013, while that for the Jewish residents was reported at 5.10 children per woman.
The ethnic group with highest recorded TFR is the Bedouin of Negev. Their TFR was reported at 10.06 in 1998, and 5.73 in 2009. TFR is also very high among Haredi Jews. For Ashkenazi Haredim, the TFR rose from 6.91 in 1980 to 8.51 in 1996. The figure for 2008 is estimated to be even higher. TFR for Sephardi/Mizrahi Haredim rose from 4.57 in 1980 to 6.57 in 1996. In 2020 the overall Jewish TFR in Israel (3.00) was for the first time measured higher than Arab Muslim TFR (2.99).
As of 2022, the fertility rates in Israeli cities dominated by specific demographic groups were: Haredi 6.1, Bedouin 4.4, Jewish non-Haredi 2.4, Arab 2.2, Druze 1.8.
Year Jews Muslims Christians Druze Others Total 2000 2.66 4.74 2.55 3.07 2.95 2001 2.59 4.71 2.46 3.02 2.89 2002 2.64 4.58 2.29 2.77 2.89 2003 2.73 4.50 2.31 2.85 2.95 2004 2.71 4.36 2.13 2.66 1.47 2.90 2005 2.69 4.03 2.15 2.59 1.49 2.84 2006 2.75 3.97 2.14 2.64 1.55 2.88 2007 2.80 3.90 2.13 2.49 1.49 2.90 2008 2.88 3.84 2.11 2.49 1.57 2.96 2009 2.90 3.73 2.15 2.49 1.56 2.96 2010 2.97 3.75 2.14 2.48 1.64 3.03 2011 2.98 3.51 2.19 2.33 1.75 3.00 2012 3.04 3.54 2.17 2.26 1.68 3.05 2013 3.05 3.35 2.13 2.21 1.68 3.03 2014 3.11 3.35 2.27 2.20 1.72 3.08 2015 3.13 3.32 2.12 2.19 1.72 3.09 2016 3.16 3.29 2.05 2.21 1.64 3.11 2017 3.16 3.37 1.93 2.10 1.58 3.11 2018 3.17 3.20 2.06 2.16 1.54 3.09 2019 3.09 3.16 1.80 2.02 1.45 3.01 2020 3.00 2.99 1.85 1.94 1.35 2.90 2021 3.13 3.01 1.77 2.00 1.39 3.00 2022 3.03 2.91 1.68 1.85 1.26 2.89 2023 3.01 2.85 1.65 1.75 1.20 2.85 2024 3.06 2.75 1.61 1.66 1.13 2.87 2025 3.08 2.76 1.62 1.69 1.14 2.89 Year Jews Muslims Christians Druze Others Total According to the CBS, 66,753 births were recorded to Jewish mothers in Israel during the first six months of 2026, compared with 65,091 during the same period in 2025, an increase of 2.6%. In the 12 months ending in June 2026, there were 137,343 births to Jewish mothers. According to a report by The Algemeiner, Israel has been the only OECD country to maintain a fertility rate above the replacement level in recent years.
Birth rate
2021 :
Total: 19.7 births/1,000 population Jews and others: 19.1 births/1,000 population Muslims: 23.4 births/1,000 population Christians: 13.3 births/1,000 population Druze: 15.8 births/1,000 population
Births, in absolute numbers, by mother's religion +Birth rates of various Israeli peoplesLive Births, by Population Group and Religion of Mother (by year) Year Jewish Muslim Christian Druze others Total # % # % # % # % # % 1996 83,710 30,802 2,678 2,682 1,461 121,333 2000 91,936 35,740 2,789 2,708 3,217 136,390 2005 100,657 34,217 2,487 2,533 4,019 143,913 2006 104,513 34,337 2,500 2,601 4,219 148,170 2007 107,986 34,572 2,521 2,510 4,090 151,679 2008 112,803 34,860 2,511 2,534 4,215 156,923 2009 116,599 35,253 2,514 2,517 4,159 161,042 2010 120,673 36,221 2,511 2,535 4,306 166,255 2011 121,520 35,247 2,596 2,469 4,457 166,296 2012 125,409 36,041 2,610 2,371 4,492 170,940 2013 126,999 34,927 2,602 2,350 4,561 171,444 2014 130,576 35,965 2,814 2,366 4,697 176,427 2015 132,220 36,659 2,669 2,376 4,792 178,723 2016 134,100 37,592 2,613 2,446 4,652 181,405 2017 134,630 39,550 2,504 2,350 4,609 183,648 2018 135,809 38,757 2,721 2,434 4,639 184,370 2019 133,243 39,525 2,409 2,298 4,532 182,016 2020 129,884 38,388 2,497 2,239 4,290 177,307 2021 136,120 39,703 2,434 2,339 4,432 185,040 2022 132,753 39,685 2,343 2,186 4,219 181,193 2023 131,143 39,303 2,193 2,088 3,997 178,724 2024 134,458 39,398 2,134 1,993 3,631 181,614 2025 135,681 40,439 2,113 2,030 3,415 183,678
+ Births by mother's religion in JanuaryJuly Jewish Muslim Christian Druze others total # % # % # % # % # % 2025 76,425 22,512 1,168 1,144 1,934 103,183 2026 78,100 22,014 1,162 1,147 1,794 104,217
Between the mid-1980s and 2000, the fertility rate in the Muslim sector was stable at 4.6–4.7 children per woman; after 2001, a gradual decline became evident, reaching 3.51 children per woman in 2011. By point of comparison, in 2011, there was a rising fertility rate of 2.98 children among the Jewish population.
Before 1950