Israel’s Population Approaches 9 Million

Israel’s population at the end of 2018 stands at 8.972 million people, 2 percent more than a year ago, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on the eve of the civil New Year. Nearly three-quarters of the population (74.3 percent), or 6.66 million people, are Jewish; 20.9 percent  (1.878 million) are Arab and 4.8% were listed as “others.”

During 2018, some 185,000 babies were born, 74.4% Jewish, 22.8% Arabs and 2.8% “others.”  Some 28,000 new immigrants arrived, 31.5% from Russia. 19.6% from Ukraine, 8% from France and 79% from the United States.

The Central Bureau of Statistics added that the population estimates do not include the foreign worker population residing in Israel, which is estimated to be around 166,000.