8.1 Million People live in Israel

According to data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics marking Israeli Independence Day, 8.1 million people live in Israel, including 6.1 million Jews and 1.6 million Arabs. Last year, 178,000 babies were born in Israel and 24,000 Jews immigrated to the country.

As we approach the eve of Israel’s 66th birthday, the Central Bureau of Statistics released data about the population in Israel.  According to the data published today, 8.180 million people now live in Israel.  This is a significant increase in the population size since 1948, when Israel only had 806,000 inhabitants.

The data released today shows that there are around 6.135 million Jews in Israel, who comprise 75% of the population. The Arab population numbers around 1.694 million people (20.7%) and the population of the others, non-Arab Christians, members of other religions or those that lack religious affiliation stands at 351,000 people (4.3%).

Since the last Israeli Independence Day, Israel’s population grew by about 157,000 people, representing a 2% increase. During this period of time, 178,000 babies were born in Israel and about 42,000 people died. The number of Jewish immigrants who came to Israel was 24,000.

At the end of 2012, about 75% of the population in Israel consisted of native-born Israelis, compared to only 35% in 1948. In 1948, Israel had only one city with more than 100,000 inhabitants, Tel Aviv. Today, 14 Israeli cities have more than 100,000 inhabitants: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Rishon LeTzion, Ashdod and Petach Tikva.