Israeli national flags flutter near office towers at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 News — As Israel prepares to celebrate its 76th Independence Day, the nation’s population stands at a staggering 9.9 million, marking a remarkable increase from the 806,000 people recorded at the establishment of the state in May 1948.

This growth signifies a more than 12-fold expansion in the population over the past seven decades.

Presently, 73.2 percent of Israel’s residents identify as Jewish, while 21.1 percent are Arab.

According to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Thursday, Israel’s population comprises 7,247,000 Jews (73.2 percent), 2,089,000 Arabs (21.1 percent), and the remainder (5.7 percent) belong to other specified groups. Over the past year, the population has grown by 189,000 individuals, marking a 1.9 percent increase since the last Independence Day. During this period, approximately 196,000 births were recorded, alongside the arrival of about 37,000 new immigrants, while approximately 60,000 individuals passed away.

Furthermore, as of the end of 2022, approximately 45 percent of the global Jewish population resided in Israel.

Israel’s demographic profile reflects a youthful population, with approximately 28 percent under the age of 14 and around 12 percent aged 65 and above. Looking ahead, projections based on CBS data indicate that by 2030, Israel’s population is expected to reach 11.1 million, rising to 13.2 million by 2040. On the occasion of Israel’s 100th Independence Day in 2048, the population is forecasted to reach 15.2 million.