Ahead of Jewish New Year, Israel’s population stands at 8.585 million

The average Jewish birth rate has risen while the average Muslim birth rate has fallen, closing the gap between the two sectors.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Updated: SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 22:16
A baby sits in front of an Israeli flag (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A baby sits in front of an Israeli flag
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A vast majority of Israelis are satisfied with the lives they lead in the Jewish state, according to data revealed in the Central Bureau of Statistics annual report released Monday ahead of Rosh Hashana.
The report looked at population trends in Israel over the course of the year and includes information on education, social welfare, public attitude and employment trends. According to the report, Israel’s population is on a consistent incline. Israel’s population grew by 156,000. Similar to previous years, the population growth rate for 5777 was 1.8%
In terms of public attitude, 88% of Israeli citizens aged 20-years-and-older said they were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their lives. 21% or some 1.1 million people feel stressed on a constant basis. 6% of the population of 340,000 admit to feeling lonely on a regular basis and 34% say they find it difficult to cover their monthly expenses.
Today, Israel’s population is estimated at approximately 8.743 million. The Jewish population makes up approximately 6.523 million or 74.6% of the total population. The Arab population is about 1.824 million,  20.9% of the population and the rest make up  about 396,000 or 4.5%. Each of these sectors experienced consistent growth since the previous report.
Adding to the population, immigration has remained consistent with 25,977 new immigrants: 57% from the former Soviet Union, 17% from France, and 11% from the United States
172,000 babies were born and 43,000 people died during 5777. Israel has the highest fertility rate in the OECD with 3.11 and an infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births - 3.1.
Today, a child born in this past year has a life expectancy of 84.2 years.
There are currently, 2,470,200 households in Israel with an average of 3.31 people.
The report stated 202,090 ‘nuclear families’ resided in Israel last year and the country saw 53,579 marriages and 14,487 divorces.
In terms of education, CBS reports 2.2 million children are enrolled in schools: 517 thousand in pre-schools, some one million in primary schools, 517 thousand in middle schools and some 713 thousand high school students. Out of this number 73.8% earned their matriculation certificate.
There are 268,600 enrolled in colleges and universities during the 2015-2016 academic year. Of those, 40.8% were men. 15.5% of all university students were Arab and from that, 31.4% were male.
Some 76,000 Israelis earned college degrees in 2016, this number is five times higher than in 1990.
The report also shows the social welfare status: Some 924,000 people are living under the poverty line, which is a rate of 107 poor per 1,000 people.
1.3 million people are registered with one or more social service departments.
14% of people over the age of 20 are registered as disabled.
Overall, Israel’s workforce is generally satisfied. There are some three million working israelis as of 2016.
Out of that, 59% are satisfied with their work and personal life and only 20% or 700,000 want to change their jobs while another 20% feel that their health or safety are in danger due to their line of work.