Jerusalem, 29 December, 2022 (TPS) — The Israeli population grew 2.2 percent in 2022, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
According to the statistics, Israel will end the year with a population of 9.656 million people, an increase of 204,000 from 2021. The growth was attributed to a jump in immigration compared to significantly lower numbers in 2021 during the COVID pandemic.
The Bureau reported that 62% of the population’s growth came from births while 38% came from immigrants.
Approximately 178,000 babies were born (74.8% to Jewish mothers, 23.8% to Arab mothers and 1.4% to others) while approximately 73,000 immigrants arrived in Israel in 2022. According to the Bureau, 80% of the immigrants came from either Russia or Ukraine.
Subtracted from the population were 52,000 Israelis who died and another 4,000 who were abroad for more than one year.
Israel’s overall population is 73.6% Jewish and 21.1% Arab, with 5.3% classified as “other.”