Israel’s population stands at 9,246,000 at the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and grew by 150,000 over the past year, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) annual pre-Rosh Hashanah report on Israel’s population shows.
The two-day holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins on Friday evening and begins the Jewish year 5781.
The population had grown by 1.6% over the past 12 months, a growth rate a bit lower than previous years.
The average birthrate stood at 3.01 children per woman.
The total population is comprised of 6.841 million Jews (74.2%), 1.946 million Arabs – including Muslims and Christians (21%), and 459,000 residents of other minorities and religions (4.9%).
According to the CBS’ projections, Israel’s population will pass the 10 million mark in 2024, the 15 million mark at the end of 2048 and the 20 million mark at 2065.
Some 170,000 Israeli couples welcomed a new child into the world this year. About 44,000 Israelis passed away.
The Jewish State this year welcomed 20,000 Olim (immigrants) to the Holy Land, despite the Coronavirus (COVID-19) related limitations and lockdowns.
Israel is expecting a quarter of a million Olim in the next 3-5 years, Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog told the Knesset’s Immigration and Absorption Committee in August, a wave of immigration following the global Coronavirus crisis.
According to CBS data, 43.1% of Jews in the country define themselves as secular, 22.1% consider themselves marginally observant, 12.8% are partially religious, 11.3% are religious and 10.1% are ultra-Orthodox.
An Israeli male’s life expectancy is 81 years, while a female in Israel lives an average of 84.7 years, one of the world’s highest.
The common cause of death in Israel is cancer (25.7%) followed by heart disease (14.2%).
An overwhelming majority, 88.8%, said they were satisfied with life, despite the many challenges entailed with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) they have faced in the past half-year.
