Israel's population reaches 9.3 million on eve of 73rd Independence Day
Since the state's inception in 1948, 3.3 million people have made Aliyah to Israel
On the eve of the State of Israel's 73rd Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut) which will take place Wednesday evening, the country is now home to a population of 9.3 million people, according to official figures released Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Approximately 6.9 million citizens are Jewish (approximately 74 percent), while almost 2 million are Israeli Arabs (Muslims and Christians, approximately 21 percent.) An additional 467,000 citizens - or 5 percent are - profess a different religion or none.
This year, 167,000 babies were born, around 16,300 immigrants arrived in Israel and nearly 50,000 people died.
Since the state's inception in 1948, 3.3 million people have made Aliyah in Israel, of which about 1.5 million (44.7%) have been since 1990.
In 2030, the population of Israel is expected to reach 11.1 million; in 2040 - 13.2 million, and on the 100th anniversary of Israel's independence in 2048, there are projected to be 15.2 million citizens.
At the end of 2019, 46 percent of the total Jewish population in the world lived in Israel; about 78 percent of Jews in Israel are "Sabras" (born in Israel).
Israel's population is young, around 28.1 percent are children aged 0-14 while 12 percent of its citizens are aged 65 and over.
“This year, the proportion of the Jewish population in the State of Israel continued to decline. CBS data underscores the strategic importance of a responsible immigration policy that will safeguard Israel's interests as a Jewish and democratic state. These steps must be taken before it is too late and the identity of the State of Israel changes, "said lawyer Yonatan Yaakovovich, Director of the Israeli Immigration Policy Center.