Israel’s population is expected to surpass 10 million in the next few weeks, according to data published by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
As the Hebrew year 5784 draws to a close, some 7.689 million (78.6%) Israelis identify as Jewish and 2.095 million (21.4%) as Arab.
The Israeli population grew by 118,000 in the past year, a rate of 1.9%.
Some 183,000 babies were born in Israel over the last 12 months, whereas 55,000 people died.
The country welcomed 33,000 Jewish immigrants under the Law of Return. Overall, the immigration balance was negative, with some 10,000 people removed from the population registry.
The two-day Rosh Hashanah holiday begins at sundown on Oct. 2, ushering in the Hebrew year 5785.
