Nearly 25 percent of Israelis will be ultra-Orthodox by 2050, said a study published by a governmental economic body on Wednesday.
Israel’s total population will surge by 70 percent by then, according to the report by Israel’s National Economic Council.
In the first estimate to break down expected population growth by region, the forecast will supposedly guide all government planning going forward.
Around 80 percent of the forecasted population will be Jews, as Arabs will account for roughly 20 percent of the population.
By 2050, Israel’s current population of 9.2 million is expected to grow to almost 16 million, with 3.8 million projected to be ultra-Orthodox, up from 12.6 percent of the population today, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
The predicted growth of ultra-Orthodox will result from the community's birth rate of 6.7 children per woman.
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews wear face masks during a morning prayer in a synagogue in Bnei Brak
(Photo: AP)
Most of the ultra-Orthodox Jews are expected to remain in Jerusalem and its surrounding area, as well as in Israel’s south where plans for a new ultra-Orthodox city are underway.
Published in August of this year, the study also claimed that the ultra-Orthodox community in northern Israel will grow even faster, but at a smaller scale.
Israel’s population growth is projected to place greater demands on the country’s housing stock, already considered to be insufficient, as well as transportation networks and the education system.