Israel’s population reached 10 million people before the end of 2024, according to a report released by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Of the 10 million citizens in Israel, approximately 76.9% of them (7.707 million people) are Jewish, and 21.0% (2.104 million people) of the population is Arab. Two percent of the population (210,000 people) identify as other.
The CBS noted that the “other” category includes non-Arab Christians and those not classified by religion in the state’s population registry.
Overall, the population in Israel grew by 1.1% (129,600 people) in 2024. The natural increase (number of births minus the number of deaths) was 112,000.
This growth rate is slightly lower than in 2023, when the population grew by 1.6%, according to the previous year’s CBS report. Tuesday’s report attributed this to the high number of Israelis who emigrated abroad.
Record emigration levels
It noted that 82,700 Israelis emigrated, which is a record high compared to previous years. In 2023, 55,400 people emigrated abroad, far beyond the annual average of 37,100 for the decade before the Israel-Hamas War.
Additionally, 40,600 Israelis emigrated abroad in the first seven months of 2024, meaning that 2,200 more people left the country each month than in the year prior. In 2023, approximately 39% of the emigrants came from the country’s wealthier districts, 28% left from the North, and 15% from the South.
Israel saw an influx of 32,890 new immigrants in 2024. Combined with those who returned after emigrating and family reunifications, the country’s net migration – the difference between the number of people entering and leaving Israel – was negative 18,200.
Some 181,000 babies were born in Israel this year, 76% to Jewish mothers and 24% to Arab mothers.
The CBS report stated that 51,400 deaths were recorded in 2024, nearly 1,800 more than in 2023. The data for both years include approximately 1,870 deaths from Israel’s operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
The CBS noted that there were spikes in mortality rates in February, July, and October.