Statistics Show: Nearly Half of Israelis Live in 16 Largest Cities

There are a total of 1,218 towns, cities, villages, moshav and kibbutz communities in Israel, according to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics Monday – and of those, nearly half the population lives in 16 cities and towns, with 10 of them located in the Tel Aviv area.

Of the total number of towns in Israel and in Area C of Yehudah and Shomron, 1,090 are considered “Jewish towns,” with a preponderance of Jews, while the rest have only Muslim, Christian and Druze residents. Of the total of 1,218, 263 are cities, with 20,000 or more residents, while the rest are towns or villages. 734 towns have fewer than 1,000 residents; nine towns have 100 or fewer residents.

In 2018, Afula passed the 50,000-resident mark, while the Shomron city of Ariel became an official city, with its population surpassing 20,000. The Bedouin town of Tel Sheva also expanded to over 20,000 residents. Efrat, located in Gush Etzion, grew to over 10,000 residents. Tel Aviv grew by the largest amount, with 23,399 new residents in 2018, the numbers show.