Israel has 7.2 million citizens
Photo: Oren Agmon
148,170 babies born in 2006
Photo: Visual Photos
7.2 million people living in Israel
Almost 76% of Israelis are Jews, 20% Arabs, and 4% are defined as others, according to situation report presented by Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of Jewish New Year. Population continues to grow at constant rate of 1.8%
A special situation report presented by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of the Jewish New Year reveals that at the end of 2006, Israel
had 7,116,700 million citizens living in its territory.
According to the report, released on Monday, the state's current population is divided among 5,393,400 Jews (75.8% of the population), 1,413,300 Arabs (19.9 % of the population), and about 309,900 citizens who are defined as "others" and are not classified according to religion.
Marriage Rates
Roi Mandel
Data by Central Bureau of Statistics shows average age of Israeli brides and grooms rising steadily
The rate at which the population grew last year was 1.8%, similar to previous years. The Jewish population growth rate was 1.5% in 2006, compared to 2.6% among Arabs, with the Muslim population having the highest growth rate at 2.9%.
Compared to western countries, the Israeli population is considered relatively young with a 28% rate of children aged 0-14 in 2006, compared to an average 17% in other western countries. The percentage of people aged 65 and above was 10%, compared to an average 15% in the West.
In Israel today there are 977 men for every thousand women. Up until the age of 35, the number of men is larger than women. At 36 however, the ratio begins to flip and by the age of 75 there are 673 men left for every thousand women.
Thirty-four percent of Israeli Jews are of Israeli origin, meaning they were born to Israel-born parents. The largest group of Israeli citizens born abroad is comprised of European and American Jews who in 2006 were made up of over 2.2 million people.
In 2006, 148,170 babies were born, marking a 3% rise from 2005. The average number of children per woman was estimated at 2.88, compared to 2.84 last year. The average birthrate per woman among Jews and Muslims was 2.75 and 3.97 respectively.
Half of Jews live in center
About half of the Jewish population in Israel is concentrated in central Israel, with over 27.5% living in the central district and some 20.9% living in the Tel Aviv district.
Only 10% of Israeli Jews live in the northern district, compared to 45% of Arabs.
Last year, Israel registered a population density of 310 people per square kilometer compared to 220 people per square kilometer in 1990.
The most densely populated area is the central district with 1,974 residents per square kilometer. The least densely populated area in the country is the southern district, with 72 residents per square kilometer.
The average life expectancy in 2006 was 78.5 years for men and 82.2 years for women and the rate of infant mortality continued to drop to 2.9 and 6.7 deaths out of every 1,000 births for Jews and Arabs respectively.
