Bethlehem

==Demographics==
===Population===
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:15px;"
|-
! Year
! Population
|-
|1867 ||style="text-align:center;"|3,000–4,000<ref name="Miller"/>
|-
|[[Village Statistics, 1945|1945]] ||style="text-align:center;"|8,820<ref>{{cite web
 |first=Sami
 |last=Hadawi
 |author-link=Sami Hadawi
 |publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization – Research Center
 |title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine
 |url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jerusalem/Page-056.jpg
 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080805000658/http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jerusalem/Page-056.jpg
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=August 5, 2008
 |access-date=June 16, 2011
}}</ref><ref name=1945p24>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p24.jpg 24]</ref>
|-
|1961 ||style="text-align:center;"|22,453<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p07.pdf 7] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119060637/http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p07.pdf |date=January 19, 2018 }}</ref>
|-
|1983 ||style="text-align:center;"|16,300<ref>Census by [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]</ref>{{Verify source|date=May 2012}}
|-
|1997 ||style="text-align:center;"|21,930<ref name="PCBSCensus">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120111192435/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/bet_t1.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years: Bethlehem Governorate] (1997) [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]]. Retrieved December 23, 2007. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|-
|2007 ||style="text-align:center;"|25,266<ref name="PCBSCensus"/>
|-
|2017 ||style="text-align:center;"|28,591<ref name="PrelimCensus2017" />
|}
[[File:Mosque of Omar with city.jpg|thumb|[[Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem)|Mosque of Omar]] and The [[Lutheranism|Evangelical Lutheran Christmas]], Salesian Church of the [[Sacred Heart of Jesus]]]]
According to [[Defter|Ottoman tax records]], Christians made up roughly 60% of the population in the early 16th century, while the Christian and [[Muslim]] population became equal by the mid-16th century. However, there were no Muslim inhabitants counted by the end of the century, with a recorded population of 287 adult male tax-payers. Christians, like all non-Muslims throughout the Ottoman Empire, were required to pay the [[jizya]] tax.<ref name="Singer">Singer, 1994, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=mrsAw_mk1d0C&pg=PA80 80] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231205315/https://books.google.com/books?id=mrsAw_mk1d0C&pg=PA80 |date=December 31, 2015 }}</ref> In 1867, an American visitor describes the town as having a population of 3,000 to 4,000; of whom about 100 were [[Protestantism|Protestants]], 300 were Muslims and "the remainder belonging to the Latin and Greek Churches with a few Armenians."<ref name="Miller">Ellen Clare Miller, 'Eastern Sketches – notes of scenery, schools and tent life in Syria and Palestine'. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Company. 1871. p. 148.</ref> Another report from the same year puts the Christian population at 3,000, with an additional 50 Muslims.<ref name="Malet1868">{{cite book|author=William Wyndham Malet|title=The olive leaf: a pilgrimage to Rome, Jerusalem, and Constantinople, in 1867, for the reunion of the faithful|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h3IBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA116|access-date=November 9, 2010|year=1868|publisher=T. Bosworth|page=116|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104164636/https://books.google.com/books?id=h3IBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA116|archive-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> An 1885 source put the population at approximately 6,000 of "principally Christians, Latins and Greeks" with no Jewish inhabitants.<ref name="JewishIntelligenceVol1">'{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Bethlehem |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=uhcFAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-uhcFAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1 |journal=The Jewish Intelligence |date=January 1885 |page=5 |access-date=October 22, 2014 |archive-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221004753/https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=uhcFAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-uhcFAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[1922 census of Palestine|census of 1922]] lists Bethlehem as having 6,658 residents (5,838 Christians, 818 Muslims, and two Jews),<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 |title=Palestine Census ( 1922)}}</ref> increasing in [[1931 census of Palestine|1931]] to 6,804 (5,588 Christians, 1,219 Muslims, five with no religion, and two Jews) with 506 in nearby suburbs (251 Muslims, 216 Christians, and 39 Jews).<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/palestine-census-1931 |title=Palestine Census 1931}}</ref>

The 1938 village statistics list the population as 7,520 with 499 in nearby suburbs (including 42 Jews).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=49}}</ref> The [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 village statistics]] list Bethlehem's population as 8,820 (6,430 Christians, 2,370 Muslims, and 20 "other").<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1945orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1945 |pages=24}}</ref>

In 1948, the religious makeup of the city was 85% Christian, mostly of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations, and 13% Muslim.<ref name="AP">{{cite book|author=Andrea Pacini|title=Socio-Political and Community Dynamics of Arab Christians in Jordan, Israel, and the Autonomous Palestinian Territories|pages=282|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-19-829388-0}}</ref> In the 1967 census taken by Israel authorities, the town of Bethlehem proper numbered 14,439 inhabitants, its 7,790 Muslim inhabitants represented 53.9% of the population, while the Christians of various denominations numbered 6,231 or 46.1%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_02860.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729042326/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_02860.html|url-status=dead|title=Bethlehem|archive-date=July 29, 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2022}}

In the PCBS's 1997 census, the city had a population of 21,670, including a total of 6,570 [[Palestinian refugees|refugees]], accounting for 30.3% of the city's population.<ref name="PCBSCensus"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/bet_t6.aspx |title=Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status |access-date=January 22, 2008 |publisher=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516122047/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/_PCBS/census/phc_97/bet_t6.aspx |archive-date=May 16, 2012}}</ref> In 1997, the age distribution of Bethlehem's inhabitants was 27.4% under the age of 10, 20% from 10 to 19, 17.3% from 20 to 29, 17.7% from 30 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 64 and 5.3% above the age of 65. There were 11,079 males and 10,594 females.<ref name="PCBSCensus"/> In the 2007 PCBS census, Bethlehem had a population of 25,266, of which 12,753 were males and 12,513 were females. There were 6,709 housing units, of which 5,211 were households. The average household consisted of 4.8 family members.<ref name="PCBS07">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf |title=2007 PCBS Census |access-date=April 16, 2009 |publisher=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] |page=117 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210081942/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf |archive-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref> By 2017, the population was 28,591.<ref name="PrelimCensus2017" />

===Christian population===
{{See also|Palestinian Christians}}
[[File:Bethlehem4.jpg|thumb|upright|Four Bethlehemi Christian women, 1911|left|266x266px]]

After the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant]] in the 630s, the local Christians were [[Arabization|Arabized]] even though large numbers were ethnically Arabs of the Ghassanid clans.<ref name="beth">[http://www.bethlehem-holyland.net/Adnan/bethlehem/beth-hlccni.htm Bethlehem, The Holy Land's Collective Cultural National Identity: A Palestinian Arab Historical Perspective] Musallam, Adnan. [[Bethlehem University]]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019141809/http://www.bethlehem-holyland.net/Adnan/bethlehem/beth-hlccni.htm |date=October 19, 2013 }}</ref> Bethlehem's two largest Arab Christian clans trace their ancestry to the Ghassanids, including al-Farahiyyah and an-Najajreh.<ref name="beth"/> The former have descended from the Ghassanids who migrated from [[Yemen]] and from the [[Wadi Musa]] area in present-day [[Jordan]] and an-Najajreh descend from [[Najran]].<ref name="beth"/> Another Bethlehem clan, al-Anatreh, also trace their ancestry to the Ghassanids.<ref name="beth"/>

The percentage of Christians in the town has been in a steady decline since the mid-twentieth century.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="Malek2017"/><ref name="Lidman2016"/><ref name="O'Connor2013">{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=Anne-Marie |title=Little Palestinian town of Bethlehem wants its tourists, Christian residents to come back |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/little-palestinian-town-of-bethlehem-wants-its-tourists-christian-residents-to-come-back/2013/12/21/dac0d310-65b3-11e3-997b-9213b17dac97_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |agency=The Washington Post |publisher=The Washington Post Company LLC |date=December 21, 2013 |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002141912/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/little-palestinian-town-of-bethlehem-wants-its-tourists-christian-residents-to-come-back/2013/12/21/dac0d310-65b3-11e3-997b-9213b17dac97_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1947, Christians made up 85% of the population, but by 1998, the figure had declined to 40%.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="Malek2017">{{cite news |last1=Malek |first1=Cate |title=Bethlehem is Struggling to Protect the Church of the Nativity |url=https://www.newsweek.com/bethlehem-easter-church-nativity-jesus-israel-palestinians-war-christians-584908 |work=Newsweek |publisher=[[The Newsweek Daily Beast Company]] |date=April 4, 2017 |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=February 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229181951/https://www.newsweek.com/bethlehem-easter-church-nativity-jesus-israel-palestinians-war-christians-584908 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2005, the [[mayor of Bethlehem]], [[Victor Batarseh]], explained that "due to the stress, either physical or psychological, and the bad economic situation, many people are emigrating, either Christians or Muslims, but it is more apparent among Christians, because they already are a minority."<ref name="VOA">{{cite news|title=Christians Disappearing in the Birthplace of Jesus|author=Jim Teeple|publisher=Voice of America|date=December 24, 2005|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-12/2005-12-24-voa17.cfm?CFID=43253380&CFTOKEN=44091067|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080505012318/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-12/2005-12-24-voa17.cfm?CFID=43253380&CFTOKEN=44091067|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2008|access-date=July 22, 2009}}</ref> The Palestinian Authority is officially committed to equality for Christians, although there have been incidents of violence against them by the [[Preventive Security Force|Preventive Security Service]] and militant factions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm|publisher=[[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]]|title=The Beleaguered Christians of the Palestinian-Controlled Areas: Official PA Domination of Christians|first=David|last=Raab|date=January 5, 2003|access-date=July 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818233943/http://jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Shragai|first1=Nadav|title=Why are Christians leaving Bethlehem?|journal=Yisrael HaYom|date=December 26, 2012|url=http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6865|access-date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=November 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204432/http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6865|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, a [[John Zogby|Zogby]] poll that interviewed more than 1,000 Palestinian Christians from Bethlehem found that 79% of the respondents cited the [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|Israeli occupation]] as source of difficulties leading the emigration of their community.<ref name="AJ1">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/5/14/bethlehem-strained-under-occupation|title=Bethlehem strained under occupation|work=Al Jazeera|access-date=11 December 2023|date=14 May 2008|quote=A Zogby International poll in 2006 interviewing 1,000 Palestinians from Bethlehem showed that 79 per cent of respondents believed the difficulties of living under occupation are the reason for Christians leaving Palestine.}}</ref> In the same year, the Palestinian Centre for Research and Cultural Dialogue conducted a poll among the city's Christians according to which 90% said they had had Muslim friends, 73.3% agreed that the PNA treated Christian heritage in the city with respect and 78% attributed the exodus of Christians to the Israeli blockade.<ref>{{cite web|title=Americans not sure where Bethlehem is, survey shows|publisher=[[Christian Church|Ekklesia]]|date=December 20, 2006|access-date=May 7, 2007|url=http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_061220bethlehem.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203015857/http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_061220bethlehem.shtml|archive-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> The only mosque in the Old City is the [[Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem)|Mosque of Omar]], located in the Manger Square.<ref name="ATT"/> By 2016, the Christian population of Bethlehem had declined to only 16%.<ref name="Lidman2016"/> The Christian population's proportion of Bethlehem fell from 87% in the 1950s to 12% in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LIDMAN |first=MELANIE |date=24 December 2016 |title=Christians worry 'Silent Night' may soon refer to their community in Bethlehem |work=[[Times of Israel]] |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/christians-worry-silent-night-may-soon-refer-to-their-community-in-bethlehem/}}</ref>

A study by [[Pew Research Center]] concluded that the decline in the Arab Christian population of the area was partially a result of a lower [[birth rate]] among Christians than among Muslims,<ref name="Lidman2016">{{cite news |last1=Lidman |first1=Melanie |title=Christians Worry 'Silent Night' May Soon Refer to their own Community in Bethlehem |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/christians-worry-silent-night-may-soon-refer-to-their-community-in-bethlehem/ |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=December 24, 2016 |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423104455/https://www.timesofisrael.com/christians-worry-silent-night-may-soon-refer-to-their-community-in-bethlehem/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Connor">{{cite web |last1=Connor |first1=Phillip |last2=Hackett |first2=Conrad |date=May 19, 2014 |title=Middle East's Christian population in flux as Pope Francis visits Holy Land |url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/19/middle-easts-christian-population-in-flux-as-pope-francis-visits-holy-land/ |website=pewresearch.org |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202011348/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/19/middle-easts-christian-population-in-flux-as-pope-francis-visits-holy-land/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but also partially due to the fact that Christians were more likely to emigrate from the region than any other religious group.<ref name="Lidman2016"/><ref name="Connor"/> The seizure of Christian land by Muslim mafias and the bias of the Palestinian Judicial system have been cited as reasons leading to emigration.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-12-21 |title=Is Christianity dying in Bethlehem? |url=https://www.jpost.com/local-israel/in-jerusalem/is-christianity-dying-in-bethlehem |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US}}</ref>  Amon Ramnon, a researcher at the [[Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research]], stated that the reason why more Christians were emigrating than Muslims is because it is easier for Arab Christians to integrate into western communities than for Arab Muslims, since many of them attend church-affiliated schools, where they are taught European languages.<ref name="Lidman2016"/> A higher percentage of Christians in the region are urban-dwellers, which also makes it easier for them to emigrate and assimilate into western populations.<ref name="Lidman2016"/> A [[statistics|statistical analysis]] of the Christian exodus cited lack of economic and educational opportunity, especially due to the Christians' [[middle class|middle-class]] status and [[higher education]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Palestinian Christianity – A Study in Religion and Politics|journal=International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church|date=July 2005|first=Leonard|last=Marsh|volume=57|issue=7|pages=147–66|doi=10.1080/14742250500220228|s2cid=143729196}}</ref> Since the [[Second Intifada]], 10% of the Christian population have left the city.<ref name="VOA"/> However, it is likely that there are many other factors, most of which are shared with the Palestinian population as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation |title=Report on Christian Emigration: Palestine |url=http://www.hcef.org/component/content/article/106-report-on-christian-emigration-palestine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720121812/http://www.hcef.org/component/content/article/106-report-on-christian-emigration-palestine |archive-date=July 20, 2014}}</ref>