The capital, in figures

Newly published statistics show that more residents are leaving the city, but here is a high level of overall satisfaction with life here.

By PEGGY CIDOR
City of Jerusalem 300 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
City of Jerusalem 300
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Just as it does every year before Jerusalem Day, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies has published comprehensive figures on various aspects of the city.
The survey refers to the situation through the end of 2012, but nevertheless gives a general outlook of today’s major trends in the capital and among its residents.
The most sought-after figure for the last 20 years is the rate of emigration – how many have left the city. In that aspect, the 2012 survey provides an unpleasant surprise – after three consecutive years with a small decrease in the number of Jerusalemites who packed up and left, 2012 changed directions, with 19,200 leaving and only 10,450 moving in – comprising a negative migration of 8,750 people, the highest number for the last 20 years.
In response to the increase in negative migration, a municipal spokesperson responded: “The Zionist sector is continuing to grow, and for the past four years there has been an increasing number of students registered in state (religious and secular) schools. In addition, the number of young adults leaving Jerusalem has dropped by 70 percent while the number of those of the same ages who have moved into Jerusalem has increased.”
By the end of December 2012, Jerusalem had 815,000 residents, divided as follows: 515,000 (63%) Jews and others, and 300,200 (37%) Arabs. Since 1967, the entire population of the city has tripled, with the Jewish population growing 2.6% and the Arab population 4.4%.
In total, Jerusalem has 502,830 Jewish residents, 288,170 Muslims, 14,800 Christians and 9,400 with no indicated religion.
In 2012, the city’s population growth stood at 1.5%, the lowest rate of growth in the last 15 years, but still slightly greater than the growth of Tel Aviv, which stands at 1.4% in the same year. Accordingly, the growth rate of the Jewish population of Jerusalem was 0.9%, lower than in past years, while among the Arab population the growth rate was 2.6% and consistently dropping – compared to 4% in 2009 and 3% in 2010.
Of Jerusalem’s residents (both Arabs and Jews), 497,600 – who represent 61% of the entire population – lived in 2012 in neighborhoods built after 1967. The largest neighborhoods were Ramot (42,100 residents), Pisgat Ze’ev (37,000) and Gilo (27,600).
In Arab neighborhoods, the largest were Beit Hanina (34,800 residents), the Old City’s Muslim Quarter (29,100) and Ras el- Amud (24,100).
In a trend observed for the first time in 2011, the shift in birthrate between Arab and Jewish women continued in 2012, with a higher birthrate among Jews than among Arabs – 4.3% for Jewish women, compared to 3.6% for Arab women. This fits with the general birthrate among Jews and Arabs in the country.
The employment field shows that fewer Jerusalemites work compared to the average in the rest of the country, with, in the Jewish sector, the following rates: 66% of Jerusalem’s religious, secular and traditional men aged 20 and above were in the workforce, compared to 70% for the rest of the country. Among Jerusalem’s haredi men of that age group, 47% worked, compared to 54% in the rest of the country.
However, 39% of Jewish men aged 20 and above declared they were very satisfied with their employment, while 49% declared they were very satisfied with life here in general. Moreover, 92% of Jerusalem residents of all ages and denominations said they were very satisfied with their life, compared to 86% of Tel Aviv residents.