Less olim are arriving in Israel
Photo: Haim Ziv
Muslim fertility rate decreases
Photo: Amit Shabi
Arab population on the rise
More women than men, more single girls than guys and life expectancy has increased, however the country has become more crowded - this is Israel on the eve of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) 2005
By the end of 2004, Israel's population reached 6,869,500, including 5,237,600 Jews (76.2 percent), 1,340,200 Israeli Arabs (19.5 percent) and 291,700 "others" (4.2 percent).
According to the Central Statistics Bureau report published Wednesday, the size of the Jewish population in Israel has decreased in comparison to other communities.
In 2004, the Jewish community constituted 76.2 percent of Israel's total population in comparison to 77.8 percent in 2000. However, the Muslim population reached 16.1 percent in 2004, in comparison to 15.2 percent in 2000.
The population growth in 2004 stood at 1.8 percent, remaining stable since 2003 - 89 percent due to natural causes and only 11 percent as a result of immigration. During the 1990s immigration stood at 56 percent.
Tel Aviv most crowded city
According to the Bureau's annual report, Israel's population density is continuing to rise and is higher than most countries.
In 2004, the population density was listed as 300 people per square kilometer, with the most populated area being the central region of Israel, including Tel Aviv. An average of 1,900 people per square kilometer reside in the area, in comparison to an average of 70 in the south.
The Bureau's population density does not include the West Bank and Gaza territories.
Notably, countries with similar a territory size like Belgium has a population density of 338 per square kilometer.
Which cities are more crowded? Among the four largest cities in Israel, Tel Aviv is the most crowded with 7,170 people per square kilometer, followed by Jerusalem with 5,642, Haifa with 4,211 and Rishon Lezion with 3,700.
Most of Israel's population is urbanized, compatible with most westernized countries. More than 91 percent live in cities with more than 2,000 residents. At the end of 2004, the urbanized population stood at 6.3 million.
The rural population constitutes 589,000.
Muslim population - the 'youngest'
The Israeli population is regarded as the "youngest" population, with 28.4 percent under the age of 14 years, compared to an average of 17 percent in other westernized countries.
Jewish immigration to Israel between the ages 25-34 years stood at 13.2 percent in 1995, rose in 2004 to 14.8 percent.
However, in comparison to other communities in Israel, the Jewish population is the "oldest", while the Muslim community is considered the "youngest."
Furthermore, 11.6 percent of the Jewish population is over the age of 65, compared to 2.7 percent in the Muslim community; 43 percent is under the age of 14 compared 25.6 percent among the Jewish community.
Who said there are no more single men?
For every 1,000 women in Israel, there are 976 men. In 2004, the number of Israeli-born residents reached 3.6 million.
In 2003, the percentage of single men was higher than single women in every population group. About 34.5 percent of all Jewish men over the age of 15 are single, compared to 27 percent of women.
Among the Muslim population, 39 percent of the men are single, while 31 percent of the women are unmarried.
Some 145,207 babies were born in Israel in 2004, 69 percent to Jewish mothers, 25 percent to Muslim parents, two percent to Druze women and one percent to Christian Arabs.
On average, an Israeli woman has 2.9 children, a stable rate since the 1990s.
Since 2000, a decrease from 4.7 - 4.6 to 4.4 has been noted among the Muslim population, following 15 years of stability.
The Jewish fertility rate has remained the same for over a decade at 2.6-2.7.
