Populations of Tel Aviv and kibbutzim grew in 2004; settlements grew by 4.3%
By TALYA HALKIN
According to the most recent data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of Israelis living in Gaza, Judea and Samaria settlements has grown by 4.3% compared to 2004, reaching 243,100 people by 2005. Unlike Haifa and Jerusalem, which experienced significant emigration, Tel Aviv is the only large city in Israel that continues to enjoy an annual increase in its population, with 5,200 new residents in 2005. More than 50% of those newcomers had moved there from other towns in the city's vicinity.
At the end of September 2005, the population of Israel numbered 6,956,600. Over the past year, the country's population increased by 87,100 people, mostly as a result of new births. This year, the population's growth rate is expected to be 1.7%, a slight decrease from 2004, probably due to fewer births and a lower immigration rate.
Although the annual growth rate in Jerusalem (1.8%) exceeded the national average, 4,470 residents left the capital this year. Similarly, in Haifa, 1,800 residents left the city, also, the number of deaths exceeded births.
In contrast to 2004, in which there was a 0.1% growth in kibbutz populations, the population there increased by 1.1% in 2005, mostly due to natural growth and to the absorption of new immigrants.