CBS: Israel's population up by 1.8% in 2011

Arab population's growth rate continues to slide; total population by end of 2011 reached 7,836,600.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
BABIES BORN in Israel 311 (photo credit: Sasson Tiram)
BABIES BORN in Israel 311
(photo credit: Sasson Tiram)
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.