A happy couple makes aliyah as part of El Al Flight LY 3004 on July 22, 2014 Israel saw a 16-percent increase in new immigrants in 2015 from the previous year. Photo: Sasson Tiram/Nefesh B’Nefesh.

JNS.org – Israel saw a 16-percent increase in new immigrants in 2015 from the previous year, according to data released by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

A total of 27,908 immigrants from around the world moved to Israel last year, along with 6,461 Israelis who returned to the country. About 53 percent of the new immigrants were from Russia, Ukraine, or other former Soviet Union countries, while 24 percent were from France and 9 percent were from the United States.

According to the data, 6,632 immigrants came from Russia in 2015, a 44-percent leap from the previous year, while 6,886 came from Ukraine, a 20-percent increase from 2014. The number of French immigrants rose by just 1 percent in 2015, to 6,628.

Most immigrants moved to Israel’s larger cities, with 12 percent settling in Tel Aviv, 11 percent in Jerusalem, 8 percent in Haifa, and 6 percent in Ashdod. Sixty-five percent of immigrants to Israel in 2015 had 13 or more years of schooling, with 67 percent working in fields that require an academic education.

A total of about 3.2 million immigrants have moved to Israel since the state was established, with 42 percent arriving since 1990.