JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s population has grown 2 percent over last year, to 7,746,000.
Some 5.8 million Israelis are Jewish, or 75.3 percent, according to annual data collected by the Central Bureau of Statistics and published Sunday in advance of Israel Independence Day. The Arab population is nearly 1.59 million, or 20.5 percent.
Some 322,000 residents are immigrants who are not listed as Jewish by the Interior Ministry or who do not identify with any particular group.
Approximately 178,000 Israelis were born since last Independence Day, and about 43,000 people died. In addition, about 24,500 immigrated to Israel and 12,000 left the country.
Meanwhile, 14 Israeli cities have populations of at least 100,000 — up from one city in 1948 at the birth of the nation, Tel Aviv. Six cities — Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petach Tikvah — have more than 200,000 residents.
