Israeli population density on the rise, CBS report shows

Israel’s population density has reached an average of 353 people per square kilometer in 2012, compared to 288 in the year 2000.

By DANIELLE ZIRI
People sitting in cafe 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
People sitting in cafe 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israel’s population density has reached an average of 353 people per square kilometer in 2012, compared to 288 in the year 2000.
These numbers represent a significant increase, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics’ 2013 Statistical Abstract of Israel, released on Monday.
According to the report, in Slovenia, which has a comparable land area to Israel’s, the population density is only 122 inhabitants per sq. km. Belgium, with a slightly larger area, hosts 366 people per sq. km.
The CBS figures revealed that the most densely populated districts in the country are the Tel Aviv District, with 7,658 people per sq. km.; the Jerusalem District, with 1,512, and the Central District, with 1,492.
In comparison, the districts with the lowest density are the Northern District, with 295 residents per sq. km., and the Southern District, with only 81.
As for towns hosting more than 10,000 residents, the most densely populated is B’nei Brak, with close to 23,000 people per sq. km., followed by Givatayim, Modi’in Illit and El’ad.
In Israeli municipalities with more than 200,000 residents, the highest population density was recorded in Tel Aviv, with 8,009 per sq. km., and Jerusalem, with 6,527.
Among Arab towns hosting more than 10,000 residents, Jisr az-Zarqa is the most dense – followed by Nazareth and Jaffa – with the number of people per square kilometer at 8,402 per sq. km., surpassing Tel Aviv.
According to the report, 41 percent of Israel’s population lives in the center of the country, approximately 24% in the Central District and 16.5% in the Tel Aviv District. The Northern District hosts roughly 16%, and the Southern District about 14%. The Haifa and Jerusalem Districts are each home to about 12% of the population, and only 4% live in Judea and Samaria.
According to CBS, about half of the country’s Jewish population lives in the center, while some 60% of the Arab population resides in the north.
In a report released on the eve of Rosh Hashana earlier this month, CBS revealed that Israel’s population is estimated at approximately 8.081 million, a growth of about 142,000 in the past year.
According to the data presented, the Jewish population in the country represents approximately 6.066 million people - 75.1 percent of the total population - and the Arab population includes roughly 20,7%, the equivalent of some 1.670 million of Israel’s inhabitants.
The remaining 4.2%, approximately 345,000 individuals, include non-Arab Christians and others.