During 2011, Israel’s population grew by 1.8 percent, increasing the population
by some 141,500 people to a total of 7,836,600 by the end of the year, according
to the Central Bureau of Statistics report released Monday.
This figure
comprises 5,907,500 Jews (75.4%), 1,610,900 Arabs (20.6%), and some 318,200
others (4%), the majority of whom are not identified as Jews.
Some
125,500 of those people were a result of natural growth, with 16,600 from
immigration.
The growth rate in the Jewish population was 1.8%, while the
Arab population’s growth rate was 2.4%. The growth rate in the Muslim population
continued to slide; in 2011 the rate was 2.5% in contrast with the rate of 3.8%
in 2000.
In 2011 some 166,300 babies were born, approximately 40,800
thousand people died, and 16,900 thousand new immigrants arrived in
Israel.
The population density has increased eight times since the
establishment of the state of Israel. In 1948 the state’s density was 43 persons
per square kilometer, while in 2011 it reached a density of 347 persons per
sq.km. (excluding the West Bank).
By the end of 2035, the population of
Jews and others is expected to reach between 7.7-9.9 million people. The
Jewish portion of this figure is expected to be 7.4-9.3 million , while the Arab
population is forecast to hit between 2.3-2.9 million.
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