Opinion

Israel’s Jewish demographic momentum in 2022

The growing Jewish fertility rate reflects optimism, patriotism, communal solidarity, a frontier mentality and a drop in abortions.

Israelis observe two minutes of silence on the beach in Tel Aviv as sirens  sound across Israel to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, on April 28, 2022. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90.
Israelis observe two minutes of silence on the beach in Tel Aviv as sirens sound across Israel to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, on April 28, 2022. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90.
Yoram Ettinger
Yoram Ettinger
Yoram Ettinger is a former ambassador and head of Second Thought: A U.S.-Israel Initiative.

In 2021, the number of Jewish births in Israel was 141,250—76% higher than 1995 (80,400), compared to 43,806 Arab births—20% higher than 1995 (36,500). In 2021, Jewish births were 76% of total births, compared with 69% in 1995.

The surge of Jewish births has taken place due to the unprecedented rise of births (since 1995) in the secular sector, simultaneously with a rising level of education, income and marriage age, as well as expanded urbanization. Since 1995, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox sector has experienced a mild decrease of fertility.

Source: Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.

In 1969: Israel’s Arab fertility rate (number of births per woman) was six births higher than the Jewish fertility rate. In 2020: Jewish fertility rate—3; Israeli Arabs – 2.82; Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Arabs—2.96.

The Muslim fertility rate in the entire region has undergone westernization: Jordan—3 births per woman, Iran—1.93, Saudi Arabia—1.95, Morocco—2.29, Iraq—3.32, Egypt—3.23, Yemen—3.1, United Arab Emirates—1.65, etc.

Israel’s growing Jewish fertility rate reflects optimism, patriotism, attachment to roots, communal solidarity, a frontier mentality and fewer abortions. Arab demographic Westernization is attributed to sweeping urbanization, enhanced stature of women (education, employment, rising marriage age, shorter reproductive period) and contraceptives.

Yoram Ettinger is a former ambassador and head of Second Thought: A U.S.-Israel Initiative.

This article was first published by The Ettinger Report.

The opinions and facts presented in this article are those of the author, and neither JNS nor its partners assume any responsibility for them.
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