On the eve of Christmas 2024, Israel’s Christian population is approximately 180,300, accounting for 1.8% of the country’s total population. This represents a 0.6% increase from 2023, according to data published Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Arab Christians constitute 78.7% of the Christian population in Israel and 6.9% of the nation’s overall Arab population.
Most Arab Christians reside in the Northern District (68.2%) and Haifa District (14.7%).
Non-Arab Christians are more concentrated in the Tel Aviv and Central Districts (41.3%), with 34.8% living in the Northern and Haifa Districts.
The cities with the largest Arab Christian populations include Nazareth (19,800), Haifa (18,700), Jerusalem (13,100), and Nof HaGalil (10,500).
In 2022, 762 Christian couples married in Israel. The average age at first marriage was 30.9 for Christian grooms and 27.6 for Christian brides, both higher than the average for other religious groups in the country.
In 2023, Christian women gave birth to 2,193 infants, with approximately 74% (1,616 infants) born to Arab Christian mothers.
The total fertility rate for Christian women in 2023 was 1.64 children per woman, with Arab Christian women having a slightly lower fertility rate of 1.52 children per woman.