On eve of 2012, Israel’s population surpasses 7.8m.

According to CBS stats, Israel is a fairly young nation with 28% of its population being under 14, compared to 17% in most Western countries.

By RUTH EGLASH
Baby in hospital birth yawn 311 (photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
Baby in hospital birth yawn 311
(photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
Israel’s population has reached 7,836,000, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
Jews account for some 5,901,000, or 75.3 percent, of the population, down from 75.4% a year ago, when that number was 5,802,000. Arabs total 1,610,000, or 20.5%, of citizens, up from 20.4% and 1,573,000 last year.
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The remaining 325,000 people, or 4.2% of the population, are not registered as either Jewish or Arab, according to the Interior Ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority.
Overall, the numbers show a growth of 1.8%, or 141,000 people, in the population over the past year, a rate that has been consistent since 2003. The trend reflects a growth rate similar to that of the 1980s, before the mass aliya of Jews from the former Soviet Union during the 1990s.
Most of the individuals who joined the population in 2011 were newborns.
The remaining newcomers were either new immigrants (17,500), or children born to returning Israeli expatriates.
The rest of the new citizens arrived under a government program that unites non-Jewish relatives with their families here.
According to CBS statistics released three months ago, Israel is still a fairly young nation, with 28% of the population under the age of 14, compared to 17% in most Western countries, and only 10% of the population over 65. In Western countries, that average is closer to 15%.
The size of an average family in Israel increased over the past year from 2.9 children per household to 3.03, with a typical Jewish family having 2.97 children. Among Muslims, the average number of children per mother is 3.75, and among Christians it is 2.1.
Women continue to slightly outnumber men in Israel, especially in the more advanced years of life.
According to the latest figures published on Monday, there are 979 men for every 1,000 women, though in the under-29 set, there are more men than women.
The previous data also showed that on average more than 48,997 couples register to marry each year, while roughly 13,000 couples file for divorce.