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Israeli Muslims. Growing in numbers
Photo: Channel 2

Israeli-Muslim population on the rise

Muslim population in Israel grows at faster rate than Jewish, expected to reach 2 million by 2025; fertility rate among Muslims dropping, still higher than in neighboring countries, Central Bureau of Statistics reveals

The Muslim population in Israel is growing at a faster rate than the Jewish population, and is expected to reach 2 million by the year 2025, data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) ahead of the Feast of Sacrifice revealed Monday.

 

According to the CBS report, the Muslim population in Israel totaled 1,142,000 million people in 2005, which constitutes 16 percent of the country's population. By 2025, Muslims are estimated to total 2 million, and make up 22 percent of the Israeli population, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has reported.

 

The report also revealed that 39 percent of Israeli Muslims reside in northern Israel, while 21 percent live in the Jerusalem district.

 

The number of Muslim children under the age of 14 currently stands at 475,700, which is almost a quarter of the number of kids in the country.

 

However, the CBS report noted that in line with the dominant trend in Europe and the Western world, the fertility rate of Muslim women in Israel has dropped over the past four years from 4.74 children in 2000, to 4.36 in 2004.

 

The most notable decrease in fertility rates was registered among women between the ages 25-34.

 

And yet, the fertility rate among Israeli Muslims has remained high in comparison to other Muslim countries in the region – 3.8 children in Syria, 3.7 in Jordan, 3.2 in Egypt and 2.5 in Iran.

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.09.06, 09:27
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