On the eve of 2013, Israel's population totals 7,981,000, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. With the population growing 1.8% million annually (145,000 in 2012), the 8 million threshold will be passed during February 2013. 75.4% of the population is Jewish, 20.6% Arabs and 4% others.
170,000 babies were born in 2012 and 16,500 people immigrated legally to Israel (aliyah) over the past year.
Israel has 6,015,000 Jews, with the six million threshold passed during November 2012. The country has 1,648,000 Arabs and 319,000 others (mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are Jewish under the Law of Return but not halachically).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 30, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012