« It's Just A Nuclear Bomb | Main | The More Things Change... »
September 15, 2004
Be Fruitful and Multiply
On the eve of Rosh Hashana (Jewish new year) 5765, there are 6.8 million people living in Israel, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has announced.
The population is divided between 5.5 million Jews and 1.3 million Arabs. In addition, there are about 287,000 ‘olim’ (new immigrants) who are not listed as Jewish in the population census. Jews in Israel, including the ‘olim’, compromise 81% of the population while the Arabs make up 19%. Israel also hosts at least 190,000 foreign workers.
According to CBS data, the population’s growth rate has dropped and stands at 1.6% only, in comparison with 1.8% recorded in 5763. During the past year, Israel’s population increased by 110,000 people.
The reason for the decline is the lower rate of immigration. Only 22,000 olim chose Israel as their new home in the past year, in comparison with 27,000 duirng 5763. About half arrived from the CIS, 15% from Ethiopia and 9% from France.
In spite of the fact that the number of olim has dropped, the number of Sabras (born in Israel) has risen. In the year 5764, 143,000 babies were born in the country, 6,000 more than during 5763.
Posted by LindaSoG at September 15, 2004 08:47 AM