Population and Demographics

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, 76% of Israel's population are Jews, 20% Arabs, and 4% 'others'. Among Jews, 67% were Israeli-born, mostly second or third-generation Israelis, and the rest are foreign-born: 23% from Europe and the Americas, and 10% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.

As of 2004, 224,200 Israeli citizens lived in the West Bank in numerous Israeli settlements, (including towns such as Ma'ale Adummim and Ariel, and a handful of communities that were present long before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and were re-established after the Six-Day War such as Hebron and Gush Etzion). Around 180,000 Israelis lived in East Jerusalem, which came under Israeli law following its capture from Jordan during the Six-Day War. About 8,500 Israelis lived in settlements built in the Gaza Strip, prior to their forcible removal by the government in the summer of 2005 as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 6,426,679
  Note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 858,246/female 818,690)
  • 15-64 years: 64.2% (male 2,076,649/female 2,046,343)
  • 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 269,483/female 357,268)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 29.9 years
  • Male: 29.1 years
  • Female: 30.8 years
• Population Growth Rate: 1.154%
• Birth Rate: 17.71 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 6.17 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.015 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.754 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.994 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 6.75 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 6.02 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 79.59 years
  • Male: 77.44 years
  • Female: 81.85 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 2.38 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%)
  • Non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab)
• Religions:
  • Jewish 76.4%
  • Muslim 16%
  • Arab Christians 1.7%
  • Other Christian 0.4%
  • Druze 1.6%
  • Unspecified 3.9%
• Languages:
  • Hebrew (official)
  • Arabic used officially for Arab minority
  • English most commonly used foreign language
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 97.1%
  • Male: 98.5%
  • Female: 95.9%