On the eve of its 57^th Independence Day, the population of Israel is estimated at approximately 6,900,000 residents.

Approximately 5,550,000 residents are classified as “Jews and Others” (80% of the population); of these, 5,260,000 are Jews (76% of the general population), and another approximately 290,000 “Others” are immigrants and their children, who are not recorded as Jews in the Ministry of the Interior (4% of the general population).

The Arab population numbers approximately 1,350,000 residents, which is 20% of the general population of Israel.

The population of Israel today is 8.5 times that of the population at the time of the establishment of the State – when there were approximately 806,000 residents.

During the past year (from the 56^th to the 57^th Independence Day) 149,000 babies were born in Israel. In addition, 26,000 immigrants arrived in the country. Of them, 9,500 were immigrants from the former USSR, and 4,400 from Ethiopia.

These data are based on temporary estimates that were processed by the Central Bureau of Statistics especially for the 57^th Day of Independence.

Residents in large localities

45% of the total population in Israel resides in cities numbering 100,000 and more residents – approximately 3,065,000 residents. Of those, 562,600 people, who constitute almost 25% of the total population in Israel, reside in the four large cities, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa and Rishon LeTziyon.

In 1948 Tel Aviv numbered 248,500 residents – the only city in the country at the time which numbered more than 100,000 residents.

The rural population of Israel numbers 570,000 residents, which is approximately 8% of the total population. Of that, the kibbutz population numbers approximately 116,000 residents, which is less than 2% of the total population. At the time of the establishment of the State, 6% of the total population resided on kibbutzim.

Countries of Origin

Native-born – 65% of the population of “Jews and Others” were born in Israel (approximately 3,600,000 people). Note that 31% of the “Jews and Others” population (approximately 1,700,000) are those who were native-born, and whose father was also born in Israel (second generation in the country).

Born abroad – 35% of the population of “Jews and Others” were born abroad (approximately 1,930,000 people). Of those, 950,000 were born in the former USSR, and they constitute today the largest group of origin among all those born abroad. In addition, approximately 157,000 of Israeli residents were born in Morocco, 110,000 were born in Roumania, 77,000 were born in North America (mainly in the USA), 70,000 were born in Iraq, 70,000 were born in Ethiopia and 64,000 were born in Poland.

The percentage of native-born Israelis grows annually; at the time of the establishment of the State, the situation was the reverse of what it is today – 35% of the Jews were born in Israel and the rest were born abroad.