Israel Nine Times More Populous After 61 Years
by Malkah Fleisher, April 27, 2009, IsraelNN.com
The population of Israel on the eve of the Jewish State's 61st Independence Day is more than nine times greater than what it was at the birth of the state in 1948, according to statistics released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Approximately 7,411,000 citizens enjoy life in the State of Israel today, up from 7,282,000 in 2008 and 806,000 in 1948.
More than 75.5 percent of Israel's citizens are Jewish (5,593,000), and 20.2 percent are Arab (1,498,000). The Arab population is up just over 1 percentage point since Israel's birth.
Approximately 154,000 babies have been born this year, keeping in line with a steady 1.8 percent national growth.
Sabras – native-born Israelis – account for 70 percent of the total Jewish population, up from just 35 percent in 1948, with over half of today's Sabras being the second generation born in Israel.
Tel Aviv-Yafo, which continues to be Israel's largest demographic region, was the only city in Israel with more than 100,000 residents in 1948. Today, 14 cities in Israel can boast of populations higher than 100,000, five of which have more than 200,000 inhabitants – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, Rishon LeTzion, and Ashdod.