According to current projections, Israel’s population is expected to continue growing throughout the rest of the 21st century. As of 2020, the population is 8.66 million people. By 2050, the population is expected to reach 12.72 million people and by 2099, the population is expected to be 18.06 million people. This means that by the end of the century, Israel’s population will be more than double what it is today.
The Israeli population is growing at a rate of 1.60%. Israel has a high fertility rate of 3.04 births per woman and in 2019, Israel recorded the arrival of over 35,000 new immigrants. This added over 136,000 people to the population from 2019 to 2020.
As the population continues to grow relatively fast, Israel is concerned that a jump in the population density could lead to more violence and unpleasant living conditions.
For a country of its size, the population of Israel is very high and many of the people living there hope that the growth would slow down. Since the establishment of the State, the population has increased approximately tenfold, primarily as a result of the high immigration of Jews into the country. Generally, the growth rate increased by about 138,000 or 1.8% annually since the Independence Day commemorated in 2012; which is similar to the growth rate that has been observed in the last 8 years, and it is expected that the population will increase roughly 5 million over the next 20 years or so. During this same period, the Jewish population grew by 1.8%, a similar trend observed in previous years. The Arab growth rate was 2.4%, down tremendously from the 3.4% annual growth rate experienced in the 1990s. The Christian population grew too (by 1.3%), while the Druze population grew by 1.7%.
Using the statistics available, projections on Israel’s population can be made showing approximate population trends for the future. Atypical of the population growth rate for a developed country, the State of Israel has a rapid growth rate. The rate of growth has been slowing for a while, and that is projected to continue in the years to come. The population was expanding at a rate of 1.55% as os 2019, and this number is expected to get down to just over 1% by 2050. During that same time period, current projections state that the population of Israel will be 8,713,559 in 2020, 9,983,645 in 2030, 11,281,554 in 2040 and 12,577,297 by 2050.
| Israel Population (as of 10/30/2024) | 9,430,222 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 9,387,020 |
| Births per Day | 470 |
| Deaths per Day | 142 |
| Migrations per Day | 29 |
| Net Change per Day | 357 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 108,171 |
Net increase of 1 person every 4.03 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 3.07 minutes | |
| One death every 10.13 minutes | |
| One immigrant every 49.65 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 4.03 minutes |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 801,000 |
| Tel Aviv | 432,892 |
| West Jerusalem | 400,000 |
| Haifa | 267,300 |
| Ashdod | 224,656 |
| Rishon LeZiyyon | 220,492 |
| Petah Tiqwa | 200,000 |
| Beersheba | 186,600 |
| Netanya | 171,676 |
| Holon | 165,787 |
The country of Israel is a middle eastern nation along the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt and is a sacred location for some of the world's largest religions. Israel is very geographically diverse with mountains in the north, desert in the south and a gorgeous coastline in the west. The area of Israel totals 8,522 square miles (22,070 square kilometers), which ranks 152nd in the world in terms of sheer size.
Israel is one of the most densely populated countries in developed world and has an estimated population of 8.7 in 2017, which ranks 101st in the world population. Calculating with these figures, the population density of Israel is 1022 people per square mile (395 people per square kilometer), which ranks 30th worldwide. According to The World Factbook, much of Israel's population is concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; while the southern area remains sparsely populated except for the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
90% of the people living in Israel live in or around urban areas, and there are several very prominent cities in the country that contribute to this. Jerusalem is the self-designated capital of Israel, although this isn't recognized by the United Nations and Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is disputed internationally. In 2017, the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, along with relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv. Jerusalem is the largest city in the country and one of the world's oldest cities. It's also a holy city in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, with both Palestinians and Israelis claiming the capital. Jerusalem has a population of 890,000 or more than 1 million in the metropolitan area.
Tel Aviv is the financial center of Israel and the second-most populous city with 417,000 residents. The Tel Aviv metropolitan area, called Gush Dan, is the largest metro area in the country with 3.46 million people, or 42% of Israel's population.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9,387,020 | 1.63% | 434 | 98 | 29 |
| 2023 | 9,256,310 | 1.7% | 428 | 98 | 29 |
| 2020 | 8,800,380 | 1.65% | 407 | 99 | 31 |
| 2019 | 8,657,470 | 1.73% | 400 | 99 | 31 |
| 2018 | 8,510,070 | 1.77% | 393 | 100 | 31 |
| 2017 | 8,361,800 | 1.85% | 386 | 100 | 30 |
| 2015 | 8,052,910 | 1.88% | 372 | 100 | 33 |
| 2010 | 7,336,740 | 1.75% | 339 | 100 | 36 |
| 2005 | 6,728,210 | 1.94% | 311 | 100 | 38 |
| 2000 | 6,111,190 | 2.68% | 282 | 99 | 43 |
| 1995 | 5,354,740 | 3.33% | 247 | 100 | 44 |
| 1990 | 4,545,000 | 2.06% | 210 | 106 | 53 |
| 1985 | 4,105,360 | 1.98% | 190 | 109 | 52 |
| 1980 | 3,721,660 | 2.32% | 172 | 110 | 46 |
| 1975 | 3,318,090 | 2.98% | 153 | 109 | 49 |
| 1970 | 2,864,780 | 4.21% | 132 | 111 | 52 |
| 1965 | 2,331,450 | 4.27% | 108 | 117 | 62 |
| 1960 | 1,891,940 | 3.42% | 87 | 119 | 66 |
| 1955 | 1,599,500 | 4.41% | 74 | 120 | 73 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9,387,020 | 1.63% | 434 | 98 | 29 |
| 2025 | 9,517,180 | 1.58% | 440 | 98 | 29 |
| 2030 | 10,176,000 | 1.35% | 470 | 96 | 28 |
| 2035 | 10,858,100 | 1.31% | 502 | 93 | 28 |
| 2040 | 11,581,500 | 1.3% | 535 | 91 | 27 |
| 2045 | 12,342,100 | 1.28% | 570 | 90 | 23 |
| 2050 | 13,092,700 | 1.19% | 605 | 89 | 21 |
| 2055 | 13,858,400 | 1.14% | 640 | 88 | 19 |
| 2060 | 14,594,800 | 1.04% | 674 | 88 | 19 |
| 2065 | 15,301,600 | 0.95% | 707 | 87 | 19 |
| 2070 | 15,999,300 | 0.9% | 739 | 85 | 18 |
| 2075 | 16,668,300 | 0.82% | 770 | 85 | 18 |
| 2080 | 17,373,700 | 0.83% | 803 | 83 | 18 |
| 2085 | 18,053,900 | 0.77% | 834 | 82 | 17 |
| 2090 | 18,667,500 | 0.67% | 863 | 79 | 17 |
| 2095 | 19,246,800 | 0.61% | 889 | 80 | 17 |
Israel, known officially as the State of Israel, is a democratic country in the Middle East on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon is located towards the north, Syria to its northeast, Egypt and Gaza Strip on the southwest, Jordan and the West Bank to its east, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea south of Israel. Its laws define Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State, and the fact is that it’s the world’s only state with a majority Jewish population.
The demography of Israel is monitored by a body named the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. The most recent demographics of Israel, taken on Israel's Independence Day in 2013, found 75% of the population is Jewish while Arabs account for 21% of the population. The remaining 4% (318,000) are referred to as “others” and are family members of Jewish immigrants who are yet to be registered with the Ministry of Interior as Jews, non-Arab Christians or non-Arab Muslims with no religious or ethnic background.
Israel has a Law of Return, which grants all Jews and people of Jewish descent the right to citizenship. The Jewish people in Israel come from many backgrounds. About 73% are Israeli-born while 18% are immigrants from North America and Europe and almost 9% are from Africa and Asia. Jewish people from the former Soviet Union and Europe, plus Israeli-born descendants and Ashkenazi Jews, account for 50% of Jews in Israel.
Over the last 10 years, many migrant workers have moved to Israel from Africa, China, Romania, and South America. While there are no precise figures with many living in the country illegally, it's estimated there are up to 203,000 migrants, including 60,000 African migrants.
Around 92% of Israelis live in urban areas. There were more than 300,000 Israelis in West Bank settlements, 250,000 in East Jerusalem, and 20,000 in Golan Heights settlements as of 2009. 6.5% of the population is made up of Israeli settlers. Almost 8,000 were living in the Gaza Strip until they were evacuated during the country's disengagement plan a decade ago.
Israel is the site of the holy land from the world's most prominent religions, with a long history of related conflict. Israel is the only country on earth with a Jewish majority, claiming nearly three-quarters of the population. 17.8% of the country is Muslim, 2% is Christian, and 1.6% are Druze. Israel has no constitution, but rather a document called the Basic Laws of Israel, that defines the nation as a Jewish State. The country officially recognizes five faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druze, and Baha'i Faith. The city of Jerusalem is the source of much of the religious contention in Israel because of its ancient role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, each of which considers its history of the utmost importance.
The Israeli economy is very strong and the people living there tend to have much higher qualities of life than in surrounding areas. Major industries include technology and industry manufacturing, and diamond cutting/polishing. Without much as far as natural resources, Israel has to import most everything. The current median age in Israel is approximately 29.9 years of age, with a total life expectancy of 82.5 years of age. In terms of factors supporting life expectancy and influencing the quality of life, the national expenditure on healthcare is approximately 7.8% of the GDP, which results in 3.58 physicians per 1,000 individuals and 3.1 hospital beds per 1,000 residents of Israel. 100% of the population has access to improved drinking water and improved sanitation as well.
Politically, Israel is broken into three Zionist parties: Labor, Revisionist, and Religious. There are also many smaller parties, and the elections in Israel tend to get very complicated, and any party rarely gains a majority seat in any branch of governance.
During the establishment of the State of Israel, there were only 806,000 residents. In 1949, the population crossed over the one million mark. Nine years later, in 1958, the population crossed the two million mark, indicating a strong positive population growth rate.
In early 1994, Israel had a population of approximately 5.3 million people. Of this, 81.5% were Jewish, 14.1% were Muslim and 2.7% were Christian, while 1.7% was comprised of Druze and others. The main factor that led to positive population growth was the large number of Jewish immigrants that arrived from all corners of the world. In 1948-1951, there were approximately 687,000 who arrived at the shore of the State of Israel. The majority of these were survivors from the Nazi extermination camps located in Europe, as well as members of communities whose migration originated from the Arab countries in Asia and North Africa.
As a result of this immigration, Israel’s population doubled in less than four years. In the years of 1955-1957, 1961-64 and 1969-74, smaller migration troops also settled in the country. The growth increment in these years was 30%-45%, with 35-50% of this figure being a result of the migration balance. The influx arising from migration was sometimes low and in 1974 it settled to an all-time low until the period of 1990-93, when thousands of Jews migrated from what was then the Soviet Union.
The immigration, as well as stability natural population increase, resulted in a population growth from 17% in the 1980s (of which migration accounted for 6%) to 40 per thousand (of which migration contributed over two-thirds). Emigration from Israel, though playing a small part, was also significant in the migration balance: 20% of emigration, as well as 30% in 1983-92, significantly reduced the population.
The rate of natural population also decreased from 21.6 per thousand in the late 1950s to 15-17 per thousand recorded, despite fluctuations in the past decade. Some of the factors leading to the decrease were life expectancy and fertility rate, as well as age structures of different population groups.
The fertility rate, or the number of children a woman had, fluctuated under different population groups in the 1950-60s. Well-off families were able to keep the number of children down while poor families saw the number of children born shoot up. In the 1960s, the rate was more than 9 among Muslims and about 3.4 among Jews. It then narrowed down in the 1970-80s. Total fertility declined among Asian/African Jews, Christians, Muslims and the Druze as well as European/American Jews. The rates were 2.61 among Jews, 4.68 for Muslims, 2.03 among Christians and 3.76 for Druze and others.