Israel’s Population Tops 9 Million

The total population of Israel has passed the nine million mark, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

That figure breaks down to 74.2 percent Jewish, 21 percent Arab and 4.8 percent other groups.

The exact official figure was 9.092 million, subject to change, and is projected to exceed 10 million by 2024, according to the CBS.

The population grew by 2.1 percent from the eve of Rosh Hashanah last year, when it stood at 8.42 million.

Some 196,000 babies were born in Israel last year, 50,000 people died and 38,000 were added to the population rolls through immigration, 35,000 of them new immigrants.

Worldwide, the Jewish population now stands at 14.8 million, a 100,000 more than last year, according to the Jewish Agency.

In statistics published ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Agency says 8.1 million Jews live outside Israel, with the largest population in the United States, which has 5.7 million Jews.

After that come France (450,000), Canada (392,000), Britain (292,000), Argentina (180,000), Russia (165,000), Germany (118,000) and Australia (118,000).

The Jewish Agency estimates there are 26,000 Jews living in Arab and Muslim states, with 15,000 in Turkey, 8,500 in Iran, 2,000 in Morocco and 1,000 in Tunisia.

Jewish population figures vary according to the criteria of the surveys conducted. The Jewish Agency said its statistics are based on self-identification as Jewish and not as any other religion.