Israel Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Israel|Israelis}} [[File:Aliyah 1948-2015.png|upright=1.25|thumb|[[Immigration to Israel]] in the years 1948–2015. The two peaks were in 1949 and 1990]] Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world and is the only country where Jews are the majority.<ref>{{cite report |editor1-last=Dashefsky |editor1-first=Arnold |editor-link1=Arnold Dashefsky |editor2-last=Della-Pergola |editor2-first=Sergio |editor-link2=Sergio Della Pergola |editor3-last=Sheskin |editor3-first=Ira |date=2021 |title=World Jewish Population |url=https://www.jewishdatabank.org/api/download/?studyId=1185&mediaId=bjdb%5c2021_World_Jewish_Population_AJYB_(DellaPergola)_DB_Public.pdf |publisher=[[Berman Jewish DataBank]] |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906084243/https://www.jewishdatabank.org/api/download/?studyId=1185&mediaId=bjdb%5C2021_World_Jewish_Population_AJYB_(DellaPergola)_DB_Public.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|{{data Israel|pst2|popbaseyear}}|{{padleft:{{data Israel|pst2|popbasemonth}}|2}}|{{data Israel|pst2|popbaseday}}}}, Israel's population was an estimated {{formatnum:{{data Israel|pst2|popbase}}}}. In 2022, the government recorded 73.6% of the population as [[Israeli Jews|Jews]], 21.1% as [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]], and 5.3% as "Others" (non-Arab Christians and people who have no religion listed).<ref name="population_stat2022">{{cite report|url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/mediarelease/Pages/2022/Population-of-Israel-on-the-Eve-of-2023.aspx|title=Population of Israel on the Eve of 2023|date=29 December 2022|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|access-date=29 December 2022|archive-date=1 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401190603/https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/mediarelease/Pages/2022/Population-of-Israel-on-the-Eve-of-2023.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the last decade, large numbers of migrant workers from Romania, Thailand, China, Africa, and South America have settled in Israel. Exact figures are unknown, as many of them are living in the country illegally,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report/85270/ISRAEL-Crackdown-on-illegal-migrants-and-visa-violators |title=ISRAEL: Crackdown on illegal migrants and visa violators |newspaper=IRIN |date=14 July 2009 |access-date=31 March 2012 |archive-date=19 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119084926/http://www.irinnews.org/report/85270/israel-crackdown-on-illegal-migrants-and-visa-violators |url-status=live }}</ref> but estimates run from 166,000 to 203,000.<ref name="Adriana Kemp">Adriana Kemp, "Labour migration and racialisation: labour market mechanisms and labour migration control policies in Israel", ''Social Identities'' 10:2, 267–292, 2004</ref> By June 2012, approximately 60,000 [[Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel|African migrants]] had entered Israel.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-africans-idUSBRE85A0VI20120611 |title=Israel rounds up African migrants for deportation |publisher=Reuters |date=11 June 2012 |access-date=5 July 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816220533/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-africans-idUSBRE85A0VI20120611 |url-status=live }}</ref> About 93% of Israelis live in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=IL|title=Urban population (% of total population) – Israel|website=data.worldbank.org|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=11 February 2023|archive-date=11 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211181255/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=IL|url-status=live}}</ref> 90% of [[Palestinian citizens of Israel|Palestinian Israelis]] reside in 139 densely populated towns and villages concentrated in the Galilee, [[Triangle (Israel)|Triangle]] and [[Negev]] regions, with the remaining 10% in [[mixed cities]] and neighbourhoods.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MDE1551412022ENGLISH.pdf ''Israel's Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domnination and Crime Against Humanity,''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201215719/https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MDE1551412022ENGLISH.pdf |date=1 February 2022 }} [[Amnesty International]] 2022 p.16: 'Today, Palestinian citizens and permanent residents of Israel comprise some 21% of Israel's population and number approximately 1.9 million. Some 90% of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship live in 139 densely populated towns and villages in the Galilee and Triangle regions in northern Israel and the Negev/Naqab region in the south, as a result of deliberate segregation policies. The vast majority of the remaining 10% live in "mixed cities".'</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/04/israel_palestine0421_web_0.pdf 'A Threshold Crossed,' ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303204705/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/04/israel_palestine0421_web_0.pdf |date=3 March 2022 }} [[Human Rights Watch]] 27 April 2021 pp.7,57–63:' This policy, which aims to maximize Jewish Israeli control over land, concentrates the majority of Palestinians who live outside Israel's major, predominantly Jewish cities into dense, under-served enclaves and restricts their access to land and housing, while nurturing the growth of nearby Jewish communities.'</ref><ref>[[Nimer Sultany]], [https://www.jstor.org/stable/41804808 'The Making of an Underclass: The Palestinian Citizens of Israel,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212211635/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41804808 |date=12 February 2022 }} [[Israel Studies Review]] Vol. 27, No. 2, (Winter 2012), pp. 190–200 pp.191,194.'the Palestinian Israeli population grew from 156,000 in 1948 to 1.4 million in 2012. Their villages became overcrowded as their land reserves steadily decreased. The lands were transferred from Palestinian private hands to state control. . .While the state has established hundreds of Jewish communities, it has not established any new Palestinian communities since 1948—except in the forced concentration of the Bedouin communities in poor towns.'</ref><ref>Gershon Shafir, From Overt to Veiled Segregation: Israel's Palestinian Arab Citizens in the Galilee, [[International Journal of Middle East Studies]], Volume 50 Issue 1 February 2018, pp.1–22 pp.4,7 {{doi|10.1017/S0020743817000915}}: ' With about 90 percent of Israel's Palestinian citizens living in Arab-only towns and villages, they suffer from the hypersegregation typical of African American urban neighborhoods and its attendant deleterious consequences. This remarkable similarity, however, has different origins...Palestinian residents in old mixed cities are congregated into distinct neighborhoods, whereas in new mixed cities they form distinct enclaves, distinguished by strong family and communal ties'</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/04/can-jews-palestinians-live-peacefully-israel-data-mixed-neighborhoods-says-yes/ |access-date=15 February 2022|title=Can Jews and Palestinians live peacefully in Israel? The data on mixed neighborhoods says yes |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The [[OECD]] in 2016 estimated the average [[life expectancy]] at 82.5 years, the [[List of countries by life expectancy|6th-highest in the world]].<ref name=OECD_life_expec>{{cite web|url=https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-expectancy-at-birth.htm|title=Life expectancy at birth|website=OECD Data|publisher=OECD|access-date=30 May 2019|archive-date=2 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202012350/https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-expectancy-at-birth.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Israeli Arab life expectancy lags by 3 to 4 years,<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2020 |title=Arab and Jewish medics together on frontline of Israel's virus fight |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200329-arab-and-jewish-medics-together-on-frontline-of-israel-s-virus-fight |access-date=23 June 2022 |publisher=[[France 24]] |agency=[[Agence France Presse]] |language=en |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623114215/https://www.france24.com/en/20200329-arab-and-jewish-medics-together-on-frontline-of-israel-s-virus-fight |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Dov Chernichovsky, Bishara Bisharat, Liora Bowers, Aviv Brill, and Chen Sharony, [https://www.taubcenter.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/healthofthearabisraelipopulation.pdf "The Health of the Arab Israeli Population"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210212846/https://www.taubcenter.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/healthofthearabisraelipopulation.pdf |date=10 February 2022 }}. Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel December 2017 pp.1–50, 13 (2015)</ref> although this is still higher than most Arab and Muslim countries.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 October 2012 |title=Saudi writer: 'Why is life expectancy in Israel better?' |language=en-GB |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-radio-and-tv-19890597 |access-date=30 March 2023 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623113753/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-radio-and-tv-19890597 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5062493,00.html#:~:text=The%20life%20expectancy%20of%20Israel's,developed%20countries'%20average%20of%2081.6.|access-date=15 February 2022|title=Taub Center report shows discrepancy in Jewish, Arab life expectancy|newspaper=Ynetnews|archive-date=15 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215072847/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5062493,00.html#:~:text=The%20life%20expectancy%20of%20Israel's,developed%20countries'%20average%20of%2081.6.|url-status=live}}</ref> Israel was established as a [[homeland for the Jewish people]] and is often referred to as a [[Jewish state]]. The country's [[Law of Return]] grants all Jews and those of Jewish ancestry the [[Israeli nationality law|right to citizenship]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Omer-Man |first=Michael |url=http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/This-Week-in-History-Jewish-right-to-aliya-becomes-law |title=This Week in History: Jewish right to aliya becomes law |newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=30 March 2023 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208171731/http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/This-Week-in-History-Jewish-right-to-aliya-becomes-law |url-status=live }}</ref> Retention of Israel's population since 1948 is about even or greater, when compared to other countries with mass immigration.<ref>{{cite book |last=DellaPergola |first=Sergio |author-link=Sergio DellaPergola |contribution=Still Moving: Recent Jewish Migration in Comparative Perspective |editor=Daniel J. Elazar |editor2=Morton Weinfeld |editor2-link=Morton Weinfeld |title=The Global Context of Migration to Israel |year=2000 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-56000-428-8 |pages=13–60}}</ref> Jewish emigration from Israel (called ''[[yerida]]''), primarily to the United States and Canada, is described by demographers as modest,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Herman |first=Pini |title=The Myth of the Israeli Expatriate |magazine=Moment Magazine |volume=8 |issue=8 |pages=62–63| date=1 September 1983}}</ref> but is often cited by Israeli government ministries as a major threat to Israel's future.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gould |first1=Eric D. |last2=Moav |first2=Omer |year=2007 |title=Israel's Brain Drain |journal=Israel Economic Review |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=1–22 |ssrn=2180400 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rettig Gur |first=Haviv |title=Officials to US to bring Israelis home |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=6 April 2008 |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=97254 |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> Approximately 80% of [[Israeli Jews]] are [[Sabra (person)|born in Israel]], 14% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and 6% are immigrants from Asia and Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2022/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_09.pdf |title=Jews, by Continent of Origin, Continent of Birth and Period of Immigration |date=15 September 2022 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |access-date=21 February 2023}}</ref> Jews from Europe and the former [[Soviet Union]] and their descendants born in Israel, including [[Ashkenazi Jews]], constitute approximately 44% of Jewish Israelis. [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries|Jews from Arab and Muslim countries]] and their descendants, including both [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]] and [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi]] Jews,<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jss/summary/v015/15.1.goldberg.html |title=From Sephardi to Mizrahi and Back Again: Changing Meanings of "Sephardi" in Its Social Environments|journal=Jewish Social Studies|volume=15|issue=1|pages=165–188|last1=Goldberg |first1=Harvey E. |year=2008 |doi=10.18647/2793/JJS-2008}}</ref> form most of the rest of the Jewish population.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/03/israel-arab-jewish-mizrahi |title=The myth of the Mizrahim |work=The Guardian |date=3 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewcy.com/post/missing_mizrahim |title=The Missing Mizrahim |date=31 August 2009 |author=Joel Schalit |website=Jewcy}}</ref> Jewish intermarriage rates run at over 35% and recent studies suggest that the percentage of Israelis descended from both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews increases by 0.5 percent yearly, with over 25% of schoolchildren now originating from both.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sociology.huji.ac.il/docs/Okun-paper-2006-01.pdf |title=Socioeconomic Status and Demographic Behavior of Adult Multiethnics: Jews in Israel |last1=Okun |first1=Barbara S. |last2=Khait-Marelly |first2=Orna |year=2006 |publisher=Hebrew University of Jerusalem |access-date=26 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210049/http://sociology.huji.ac.il/docs/Okun-paper-2006-01.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref> Around 4% of Israelis (300,000), ethnically defined as "others", are [[1990s Post-Soviet aliyah|Russian descendants]] of Jewish origin or family who are not Jewish according to rabbinical law, but were eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jppi.org.il/uploads/Jewish_Demographic_Policies.pdf |title=Jewish Demographic Policies |publisher=The Jewish People Policy Institute |year=2011 |last=DellaPergola |first=Sergio}}</ref><ref name="Israel people">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Israel_(people).aspx |title=Israel (people) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |year=2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Yoram Ettinger|date=5 April 2013 |title=Defying demographic projections |url= http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=3913 |access-date=29 October 2013|newspaper=[[Israel Hayom]]}}</ref> The total number of [[Israeli settlement|Israeli settlers]] beyond the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]] is over 600,000 (≈10% of the Jewish Israeli population).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gorenberg |first=Gershom |date=26 June 2017 |title=Settlements: The Real Story |url=http://prospect.org/article/settlements-real-story |magazine=The American Prospect |access-date=25 August 2017}}</ref> {{As of|2016|alt=In 2016}}, 399,300 Israelis [[Population statistics for Israeli settlements in the West Bank|lived]] in [[West Bank]] settlements,<ref name="districts_pop"/> including those that predated the establishment of the State of Israel and which were re-established after the [[Six-Day War]], in cities such as [[Hebron]] and [[Gush Etzion]] bloc. Additionally there were more than 200,000 Jews living in [[East Jerusalem]],<ref name="jerusalem_pop"/> and 22,000 in the [[Golan Heights]].<ref name="districts_pop"/> Approximately 7,800 Israelis [[Population statistics for Israeli Gaza Strip settlements|lived in settlements]] in the Gaza Strip, known as [[Gush Katif]], until they were evacuated by the government as part of its 2005 [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|disengagement plan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fmep.org/settlement_info/settlement-info-and-tables/stats-data/settlements-in-the-gaza-strip-1 |title=Settlements in the Gaza Strip |access-date=12 December 2007 |website=Settlement Information |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826025402/http://www.fmep.org/settlement_info/settlement-info-and-tables/stats-data/settlements-in-the-gaza-strip-1 |archive-date=26 August 2013 }}</ref> Israeli Arabs (including the Arab population of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights) comprise 21.1% of the population or 1,995,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/mediarelease/Pages/2021/Population-of-Israel-on-the-Eve-of-2022.aspx |title=Population of Israel on the Eve of 2022 |publisher=Cbs.gov.il |date= |access-date=13 February 2022}}</ref> In a 2017 poll, 40% of Arab citizens of Israel identified as "Arab in Israel" or "Arab citizen of Israel", 15% identified as "Palestinian", 8.9% as "Palestinian in Israel" or "Palestinian citizen of Israel", and 8.7% as "Arab"; a poll found that 60% of Israeli Arabs have a positive view of the state.<ref>{{cite report|publisher=[[Konrad Adenauer Foundation]]|url=https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0e141dca-8ac4-a77f-7045-f3a7d4c30991|title=Citizenship, Identity and Political Participation: Measuring the Attitudes of the Arab Citizens in Israel|date=December 2017|pages=22, 25, 28 |issue=12 |quote=(p.28) "The positions of the participants in the focus groups reflect the strength of Palestinian-Arab identity among Arab citizens and the fact that they do not see a contradiction between Palestinian-Arab national identity and Israeli civic identity. The designation "Israeli-Arab" aroused great opposition in the focus groups, as did Israel's Independence Day. A comparison of views expressed in the focus groups with the general results of the survey points to differences between collective positions and memory and individual feelings and attitudes. The collective position presented in the focus group discussions finds expression in the public sphere and emphasizes the Palestinian national identity. Conversely, the responses of the survey participants reveal individual attitudes that assign a broader (albeit secondary, identity) dimension to the component of Israeli civic identity"; quote (p.25): "Amongst the participants there was consensus that Palestinian identity occupies a central place in their consciousness. The definition "Palestinian" has national and emotional importance, as it embodies the heritage of Arab citizens and their culture. This was expressed explicitly in the words of the participants: "We are Palestinian Arabs and we say this with pride;""We are Palestinian citizens of Israel. The emphasis is on the word 'Palestinians'"; "I am first and foremost a Palestinian and nothing more." The designation "Arab citizens of Israel" was acceptable to them on the basis of the understanding that it is impossible to live without citizenship, and as long as Israeli citizenship does not harm the national consciousness. Conversely, the participants spoke out against the designation "Arab-Israeli" and made statements such as "I am an Arab, I belong to a larger culture than the State of Israel"; "We are not the Arabs of Israel, I am an Arab who does not belong to the State of Israel. My roots and my Arabness existed before them." "[Arab-Israeli] is an inappropriate expression because our ancestors were here before '48."}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lynfield|first1=Ben|title=Survey: 60% of Arab Israelis have positive view of state|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Survey-60-percent-of-Arab-Israelis-have-positive-view-of-state-506150|access-date=23 October 2017|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=27 September 2017}}</ref> ===Major urban areas=== {{Main list|List of cities in Israel}} {{wide image|Tel Aviv Panorama.jpg|800px|View over the [[Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area]]}} Israel has four major metropolitan areas: [[Gush Dan]] (Tel Aviv metropolitan area; population 3,854,000), [[Jerusalem metropolitan area|Jerusalem]] (population 1,253,900), [[Haifa metropolitan area|Haifa]] (924,400), and [[Beersheba metropolitan area|Beersheba]] (377,100).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_25&CYear=2017 |title=Localities, Population and Density per Sq. Km., by Metropolitan Area and Selected Localities |date=6 September 2017 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref> Israel's largest municipality, in population and area, is [[Jerusalem]] with {{Israel populations|Jerusalem}} residents in an area of {{convert|125|km2|0|abbr=out}}.{{Israel populations|reference}} Israeli government statistics on Jerusalem include the population and area of [[East Jerusalem]], the status of which is in international dispute.<ref>{{harvnb|Roberts|1990|p=60}} Although East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been brought directly under Israeli law, by acts that amount to annexation, both of these areas continue to be viewed by the international community as occupied, and their status as regards the applicability of international rules is in most respects identical to that of the West Bank and Gaza.</ref> [[Tel Aviv]] and [[Haifa]] rank as Israel's next most populous cities, with populations of {{Israel populations|Tel Aviv - Yafo}} and {{Israel populations|Haifa}}, respectively.{{Israel populations|reference}} The (mainly [[Haredi]]) city of [[Bnei Brak]] is the most densely populated city in Israel and one of the [[List of cities proper by population density|10 most densely populated cities]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-city-rankings/population-density-by-city |title=Population Density by City }}</ref> Israel has 16 [[List of cities in Israel|cities]] with populations over 100,000. {{As of|2018|alt=As of 2018}} there are 77 Israeli localities granted [[City council (Israel)|"municipalities" (or "city") status]] by the Ministry of the Interior,<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_22&CYear=2018 2.22 Localities and Population, by Municipal Status and District], 2018</ref> [[List of Israeli settlements with city status in the West Bank|four of which are in the West Bank]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.science.co.il/municipal/Cities.php | title=List of Cities in Israel}}</ref> {{Largest cities of Israel}} ===Language=== {{Main|Languages of Israel}} [[File:שלט רחוב יהודה (3777232251).jpg|thumb|[[Road signs in Israel|Road sign]] in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], Arabic, and English]] Israel's official language is [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]. Until 2018, [[Arabic language in Israel|Arabic]] was also an official language;<ref name=lang1/> in 2018 [[Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People|it was downgraded]] to having a 'special status in the state'.<ref name=lang2/><ref name=lang3/> Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken daily by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Hebrew taught in Arab schools. Due to mass immigration from the former Soviet Union and [[Aliyah from Ethiopia|Ethiopia]] (some 130,000 [[Ethiopian Jews in Israel|Ethiopian Jews live in Israel]]),<ref name="The Ethiopian Population In Israel">[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]: [http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/newhodaot/hodaa_template.html?hodaa=201211307 The Ethiopian Community in Israel]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-ethiopia-jews-sb-idUSTRE56F4ZY20090716 |title=Israel may admit 3,000 Ethiopia migrants if Jews |publisher=Reuters |date=16 July 2009}}</ref> [[Russian language in Israel|Russian]] and [[Amharic]] are widely spoken.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel's welcome for Ethiopian Jews wears thin |first=Bill |last=Meyer |url=http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2008/08/israels_welcome_for_ethiopian.html |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |date=17 August 2008 |access-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> More than one million Russian-speaking immigrants [[1990s Post-Soviet aliyah|arrived]] in Israel between 1990 and 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/study-soviet-immigrants-outperform-israeli-students-1.238970 |title=Study: Soviet immigrants outperform Israeli students |newspaper=Haaretz |date=10 February 2008}}</ref> French is spoken by around 700,000 Israelis,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4156781,00.html |title=French radio station RFI makes aliyah |newspaper=Ynetnews |date=5 December 2011}}</ref> mostly originating [[French Jews in Israel|from France]] and North Africa (see [[Maghrebi Jews]]). English was an official language during the Mandate period; it lost this status after the establishment of Israel, but retains a role comparable to that of an official language.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spolsky|first=Bernard|title=Round Table on Language and Linguistics |url={{Google books|ljumbfV_7y0C|page=PA169|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |year=1999|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=978-0-87840-132-1 |pages=169–170 |quote=In 1948, the newly independent state of Israel took over the old British regulations that had set English, Arabic, and Hebrew as official languages for Mandatory Palestine but, as mentioned, dropped English from the list. In spite of this, official language use has maintained a de facto role for English, after Hebrew but before Arabic.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Hava |last=Bat-Zeev Shyldkrot|editor2-first=Hava|editor2-last=Bat-Zeev Shyldkrot |editor1-first=Dorit |editor1-last=Diskin Ravid|editor1-link=Dorit Ravid|title=Perspectives on Language and Development: Essays in Honor of Ruth A. Berman |chapter-url={{Google books|xMzx6xFB0IgC|page=PA90|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |date=2004 |page=90 |chapter=Part I: Language and Discourse |isbn=978-1-4020-7911-5 |quote=English is not considered official but it plays a dominant role in the educational and public life of Israeli society. ... It is the language most widely used in commerce, business, formal papers, academia, and public interactions, public signs, road directions, names of buildings, etc. English behaves 'as if' it were the second and official language in Israel.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Elana|last=Shohamy|title=Language Policy: Hidden Agendas and New Approaches |url={{Google books|5mG09P64jzYC|page=PA72|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-32864-7 |pages=72–73 |quote=In terms of English, there is no connection between the declared policies and statements and de facto practices. While English is not declared anywhere as an official language, the reality is that it has a very high and unique status in Israel. It is the main language of the academy, commerce, business, and the public space.}}</ref> Many Israelis communicate reasonably well in English, as many television programmes are broadcast in English with [[subtitles]] and the language is taught from the early grades in elementary school. Israeli universities offer courses in the English language on various subjects.<ref>{{cite web|title=English programs at Israeli universities and colleges |url=http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/AboutIsrael/Education/Pages/English_programs_Israeli_universities_colleges.aspx |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2023}} ===Religion=== {{Main|Religion in Israel}} {{See also|Abrahamic religions}} [[File:Westernwall2.jpg|thumb|The [[Dome of the Rock]] and the [[Western Wall]], Jerusalem|alt=A large open area with people bounded by old stone walls. To the left is a mosque with large golden dome.]] The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2022 was 73.6% Jewish, 18.1% [[Muslims|Muslim]], 1.9% [[Christians|Christian]], and 1.6% [[Druze]]. The remaining 4.8% included faiths such as [[Samaritanism]] and [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], as well as "religiously unclassified".<ref name="CBS 2.1">{{cite book |url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnatonenew_site.htm |title=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 (No. 57) |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] |year=2006 |chapter=Table 2.1 — Population, by Religion and Population. As of may 2011 estimate the population was 76.0 Jewish. Group |chapter-url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st02_01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914092802/http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnatonenew_site.htm |archive-date=14 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Jewish religious movements|religious affiliation]] of [[Israeli Jews]] varies widely: a 2016 survey by [[Pew Research]] indicates that 49% self-identify as [[Hiloni]] (secular), 29% as [[Masortim|Masorti]] (traditional), 13% as [[Dati]] (religious) and 9% as [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]] (ultra-Orthodox).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/08/in-israel-jews-are-united-by-homeland-but-divided-into-very-different-groups/ |title=In Israel, Jews are united by homeland but divided into very different groups |last1=Starr |first1=Kelsey Jo |last2=Masci |first2=David |date=8 March 2016 |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=14 January 2017}}</ref> Haredi Jews are expected to represent more than 20% of Israel's Jewish population by 2028.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/at-the-edge-of-the-abyss-1.3538 |author=Shahar Ilan |title=At the edge of the abyss |newspaper=Haaretz |date=24 November 2009}}</ref> [[Islam in Israel|Muslims]] constitute Israel's largest religious minority, making up about 17.6% of the population. About 2% of the population is [[Christianity in Israel|Christian]] and 1.6% is [[Druze in Israel|Druze]].<ref name="cia"/> The Christian population comprises primarily [[Arab Christians]] and [[Arameans in Israel|Aramean Christians]], but also includes post-Soviet immigrants, foreign laborers, and followers of [[Messianic Judaism]], considered by most Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel's Christian population numbers 148,000 as of Christmas Eve |first=Moti |last=Bassok |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-christian-population-numbers-148-000-as-of-christmas-eve-1.208151 |newspaper=Haaretz |date=25 December 2006 |access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref> Members of many other religious groups, including [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] and [[Hinduism in Israel|Hindus]], maintain a presence in Israel, albeit in small numbers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/shnaton53/st_eng02.pdf |title=National Population Estimates |access-date=6 August 2007 |page=27 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807012547/http://www.cbs.gov.il/shnaton53/st_eng02.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref> Out of more than one million [[1990s Post-Soviet aliyah|immigrants]] from the former Soviet Union, about 300,000 are considered not Jewish by the [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/15675691 |title=Israel's disputatious Avigdor Lieberman: Can the coalition hold together? |date=11 March 2010 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> Israel comprises a major part of the [[Holy Land]], a region of significant importance to all [[Abrahamic religions]]. The city of [[Jerusalem]] is of [[Religious significance of Jerusalem|special importance]] to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, as it is the home of [[List of places in Jerusalem|sites]] that are pivotal to their religious beliefs, such as the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] that incorporates the [[Western Wall]] and the [[Temple Mount]] (Al-Aqsa Mosque compound) and the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Jerusalem: its sanctity and centrality to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |last=Levine |first=Lee I. |year=1999 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8264-1024-5 |page=516}}</ref> Other locations of religious importance in Israel are [[Nazareth]] (holy in Christianity as the site of the [[Annunciation]] of [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]]), [[Tiberias]] and [[Safed]] (two of the [[Four Holy Cities]] in Judaism), the [[White Mosque, Ramla|White Mosque]] in [[Ramla]] (holy in Islam as the shrine of the prophet [[Salih|Saleh]]), and the [[Church of Saint George and Mosque of Al-Khadr, Lod]] (holy in Christianity and Islam as the tomb of [[Saint George]] or [[Al Khidr]]). A number of other religious landmarks are located in the [[West Bank]], among them [[Joseph's Tomb]], the [[Church of the Nativity|birthplace of Jesus]], [[Rachel's Tomb]], and the [[Cave of the Patriarchs]]. The [[Arc (Baháʼí)|administrative center]] of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] and the [[Shrine of the Báb]] are located at the [[Baháʼí World Centre]] in [[Haifa]]; the leader of the faith is [[Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh|buried]] in [[Acre, Israel|Acre]].<ref>{{cite book | title = Hebrew Phrasebook | publisher = Lonely Planet Publications |year=1999 | page = 156 |isbn=978-0-86442-528-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://info.bahai.org/article-1-6-0-5.html |title=The Baháʼí World Centre: Focal Point for a Global Community |publisher=The Baháʼí International Community |access-date=2 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629171538/http://info.bahai.org/article-1-6-0-5.html |archive-date=29 June 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Baháʼí Library Online |title=Teaching the Faith in Israel |date=23 June 1995 |url=http://bahai-library.com/uhj_teaching_in_israel |access-date=6 August 2007 }}</ref> The [[Mahmood Mosque, Haifa|Mahmood Mosque]] is affiliated with the reformist [[Ahmadiyya in Israel|Ahmadiyya]] movement. [[Kababir]], Haifa's mixed neighbourhood of Jews and Ahmadi Arabs, is one of a few of its kind in the country.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.haifatrail.com/haifa-trail-segment14-eng.htm#./images/sect-14/Haifa-Trail-Sect14-P1610817.jpg | title=Kababir and Central Carmel – Multiculturalism on the Carmel | access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.visit-haifa.org/eng/Kababir | title=Visit Haifa | access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref> ===Education=== {{Main|Education in Israel}} [[File:Brain research labs-Bar Ilan university.jpg|thumb|[[Bar-Ilan University#Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center|Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center]] at [[Bar-Ilan University]]]] Education is highly valued in the Israeli culture and was viewed as a [[History of education in ancient Israel and Judah|fundamental block of ancient Israelites]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/education-in-ancient-israel |title=Education in Ancient Israel |publisher=American Bible Society |access-date=3 July 2015}}</ref> In 2015, the country [[List of countries by tertiary education attainment|ranked]] third among [[OECD]] members for the percentage of 25–64 year-olds that have attained [[tertiary education]] with 49% compared with the OECD average of 35%.<ref name="OECD_education">{{cite report |date=15 September 2016 |title=Education at a Glance: Israel |url=http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/education-at-a-glance-2016/israel_eag-2016-63-en |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |access-date=18 January 2017}}</ref> In 2012, the country ranked third in the number of academic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.american.edu/initeb/as5415a/Israel_ICT/itWork.html |title=Israel: IT Workforce |access-date=14 August 2007 |website=Information Technology Landscape in Nations Around the World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060913013444/http://www.american.edu/initeb/as5415a/Israel_ICT/itWork.html |archive-date=13 September 2006}}</ref> Israel has a [[school life expectancy]] of 16 years and a [[List of countries by literacy rate|literacy rate]] of 97.8%.<ref name="cia"/> The State Education Law (1953) established five types of schools: state secular, state religious, ultra orthodox, communal settlement schools, and Arab schools. The public secular is the largest school group, and is attended by the majority of Jewish and non-Arab pupils. Most Arabs send their children to schools where Arabic is the language of instruction.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED250227&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED250227 |title=Israeli Schools: Religious and Secular Problems |publisher=Education Resources Information Center |date=10 October 1984 |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> Education is compulsory for children between the ages of three and eighteen.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/knesset-raises-school-dropout-age-to-18-1.225752 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=20 March 2012 |date=18 July 2007 |title=Knesset raises school dropout age to 18 |first1=Or |last1=Kashti |first2=Shahar |last2=Ilan}}</ref> Schooling is divided into three tiers – primary school (grades 1–6), [[middle school]] (grades 7–9), and high school (grades 10–12) – culminating with ''[[Bagrut]]'' matriculation exams. Proficiency in core subjects such as mathematics, the [[Hebrew language]], Hebrew and general literature, the [[English language]], history, Biblical scripture and civics is necessary to receive a Bagrut certificate.<ref name="moia">{{cite web |url=http://www.moia.gov.il/Publications/education_en.pdf |title=Education |last1=Shetreet |first1=Ida Ben |last2=Woolf |first2=Laura L. |year=2010 |website=Publications Department |publisher=Ministry of Immigrant Absorption |access-date=30 August 2012}}</ref> Israel's Jewish population maintains a relatively high level of educational attainment where just under half of all Israeli Jews (46%) hold post-secondary degrees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2016/12/13/religion-and-education-around-the-world/|title=Religion and Education Around the World |date=13 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2016/12/13/jewish-educational-attainment/|title=6. Jewish educational attainment|date=13 December 2016}}</ref> Israeli Jews (among those ages 25 and older) have average of 11.6 years of schooling making them one of the most highly educated of all major religious groups in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2016/12/13/how-religious-groups-differ-in-educational-attainment/|title=How Religious Groups Differ in Educational Attainment|date=13 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/jews-top-class-first-ever-global-study-religion-and-education|title=Jews at top of class in first-ever global study of religion and education|date=13 December 2016}}</ref> In Arab, Christian and [[Druze]] schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by an exam on Muslim, Christian or Druze heritage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/oseas/bagrut.html |publisher=United States-Israel Educational Foundation via the University of Szeged University Library |title=The Israeli Matriculation Certificate |access-date=5 August 2007 |date=January 1996 |archive-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915073741/http://www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/oseas/bagrut.html }}</ref> In 2020, 68.7% of all Israeli twelfth graders earned a matriculation certificate.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023 |title=Students in Grade 12 – Matriculation Examinees and Those Entitled to a Certificate |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/LochutTlushim/2023/st04_19.pdf |access-date=19 October 2023 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> [[File:MountScopusDec032022 03.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Scopus]] Campus of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]]] Israel has a tradition of higher education where its quality university education has been largely responsible in spurring the nation's modern economic development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kehilanews.com/2017/05/11/israels-educational-tradition-drives-economic-growth/ |title=Israel's educational tradition drives economic growth |last=Silver |first=Stefan |date=11 May 2017 |website=Kehlia News Israel |access-date=31 July 2017 |archive-date=7 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207190253/https://kehilanews.com/2017/05/11/israels-educational-tradition-drives-economic-growth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Israel has [[List of Israeli universities and colleges|nine public universities subsidized by the state and 49 private colleges]].<ref name="moia"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://embassies.gov.il/delhi/Departments/Pages/Academic%20Affairs.aspx |title=Higher Education in Israel |access-date=19 March 2012 |publisher=Embassy of Israel In India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725031634/http://embassies.gov.il/delhi/Departments/Pages/Academic%20Affairs.aspx |archive-date=25 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Paraszczuk|first=Joanna|title=Ariel gets university status, despite opposition |url=http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Ariel-gets-university-status-despite-opposition|access-date=21 December 2013|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post|date=17 July 2012}}</ref> The [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] houses the [[National Library of Israel]], the world's largest repository of Judaica and Hebraica.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/library/aboutus/past/Building/Pages/history.aspx |publisher=National Library of Israel |title=History of the Library |access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref> The [[Technion]] and the Hebrew University consistently ranked among world's 100 top universities by [[Academic Ranking of World Universities|ARWU]] ranking.<ref name="ARWU">{{cite web |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/World-University-Rankings-2016/Israel.html |title=Israel |date=2016 |publisher=Academic Ranking of World Universities |access-date=6 January 2017 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817025723/http://www.shanghairanking.com/World-University-Rankings-2016/Israel.html }}</ref> Other major universities include the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]], [[Tel Aviv University]], [[Ben-Gurion University of the Negev]], [[Bar-Ilan University]], the [[University of Haifa]] and the [[Open University of Israel]]. 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