Israeli Population Heading for 20 Million

The Israeli demographic curve points sharply upward—10 million by the end of 2024, 15 million by the end of 2048, and 20 million by the end of 2065, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics on Sunday.

The proportions of Jews, Arabs and other groups are expected to remain about the same, 79 percent Jews (and others) and 21 percent Arab.

However, a significant change is forecast for within the Jewish population: chareidim, who now make up approximately 11 percent of the population, are expected to grow to 20 percent by 2040 and 32 percent by 2065, if current trends continue.

In 2015, 75 percent of Israeli children aged 0-14 were Jews or others, including 19 percent of all children who were chareidi. This share is expected to rise to 84 percent of the child population in 2065, 49 percent chareidi.

The population is getting older too. In 2015, 11.1 percent of Israelis were aged 65 or older; it is predicted to rise to 14.3 percent in 2040, and to 15.3 percent in 2065.