The Jewish population of Israel has increased almost four times since the State was established 20 years ago but the Arab population has also increased and now stands at 14 percent of the Jewish population compared to 11 percent in 1948, the Central Bureau of Statistics disclosed today. The Arab figures include East Jerusalem.
The figures, taken from the statistical annual for 1967 to be published shortly, showed that the Jewish population of Israel increased at an average annual rate of 6.9 percent since 1948. The Jewish population then stood at 649,600. At the end of last year it was 2,383,600. Immigration accounted for 1,100,000 and natural increase for 635,000. Mass immigration was responsible for an annual population increase of 24 percent during the peak years of immigration, 1948 to 1951. In the last two years, however, immigration accounted for only two percent of the annual increase.
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