Israel's population grows by 1.8% to 7,411,000

Jews make up 75.5% of residents, Arabs 20.2%; 5 cities more than 200,000.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Published: APRIL 27, 2009 13:56
Crowd, Independence day 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimksi )
Crowd, Independence day 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimksi )
There are 7,411,000 Israelis on the eve of our 61st Independence Day, according to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday afternoon. A year ago, the population was 7,282,000, and when Israel was established, it was just 806,000. About 75.5 percent, or 5,593,000, of Israelis are Jews, 1,498,000 are Arabs (20.2%), while "Others" - immigrants and their offspring who are not registered as Jews by the Interior Ministry - number 320,000 (4.3%). Since last Independence Day, some 154,000 babies were born, and more than 12,000 immigrants have arrived. The population grew during this period by approximately 125,000 - an increase of 1.8%. Some 70% of the Jews are native Israelis, or 'sabras,' and at least half of them are second-generation Israelis - compared with a native-born population of 35% in 1948. In 1948, there was only one city in Israel with more than 100,000 inhabitants - Tel Aviv-Jaffa (248,000). Today, 14 cities number more than 100,000 people, of which five have more than 200,000: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Rishon Lezion and Ashdod.