Are there non-Jews in Israel?

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Israel’s population is estimated to be about 6.8 million, of which 5.5 million are Jews and 1.3 million are Arabs. The population growth rate continued to decline in 2003, reaching only 1.8%, which was an increase of 117,000 people, which was less than the 1.9% (122,000 people) in 2002. This is because the immigrant population has shrunk to a rate similar to that of the 1980s, when it was the lowest since the founding of the country.

Arab population growth rate is higher than that of Jews

The Jewish population grew by 1.4% in 2003, while the Arab population grew by 3%. Arab Muslims grew by 3.3%, while Christians grew by 1.2%.

The aging of the Jewish population

The age distribution of the population as a share remained unchanged in 2003. However, the number of people over 75 years old has increased, especially among Jews, who grew by 5.5% in 2003, compared with 4.4% in 1990. Israel's population is aging more moderately than in Western countries, but the Jewish population is aging faster than the Arab population. 26% of the Jews are children under the age of 14, while 41% of the Arab population.

Sex ratio

The ratio of men to women among Jews is 966 to 1,000, and this difference widens with age. Among the population over 75 years old, the ratio of men to women is 670 to 1,000. Among the population under the age of 33, there are more men than women, and from the age of 34 onwards, the situation is reversed. As for the single population, there are more men than women in every age group, and the gap is even greater among those over 35 years old. In 2003, people continued to delay the age of marriage. In 2002, approximately 40,000 couples were married.

Proportion of native-born Israelis

In 2003, the proportion of native-born Israelis remained unchanged at 63% of the population, or 3.4 million. Among native-born Israelis whose fathers were also native-born, 48% account for 30% of the total number of Jews. For example, in 1983, native-born Israelis whose fathers were also native-born accounted for only 16% of the total number of Jews.

Ethnic ratio

The largest ethnic group in Israel is European and American immigrants and their children born in Israel, with a population of 2.2 million, accounting for 41% of the Jews. Among them, 37% immigrated from the former Soviet Union after 1990. The second largest ethnic group is African immigrants and their children, with a population of 860,000, accounting for 16% of the Jews. Among them, 50,000 people immigrated from Ethiopia after 1990. The smallest group is Asian immigrants and their children, with a population of 703,000, accounting for 13% of the Jewish population.

In 2003, 145,000 babies were born in Israel.