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Demographic Trends in Israel in 2020

(JNS) Yoram Ettinger - The number of Israeli Jewish births in 2020 (134,866) was 68% higher than in 1995, while the number of Israeli Arab births in 2020 was 16% higher, as reported in March 2021 by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. In 2020, Jewish births were 76% of total births, compared to 69% in 1995. In 2019, the Jewish fertility rate was 3.09, while the Arab rate was 2.98. Israeli Jewish women are unique in experiencing a rising fertility rate despite expanded urbanization, increased education, a higher standard of living, rising integration into the job market and a rising marriage age, while these phenomena have lowered the fertility rate in all other countries. The unique growth in Israel's Jewish fertility rate is attributed to optimism, patriotism, attachment to Jewish roots, communal solidarity, a frontier mentality and a declining number of abortions. Israeli Arabs' life expectancy (78 for men and 82 for women) is similar to the U.S. and higher than any Arab/Muslim country. In the Palestinian Authority, a dramatic decline in the fertility rate from 9 births per woman in the 1960s to 3 in 2021 (similar to Jordan) is documented by the CIA World Factbook, reflecting the Westernization of Arabs in Judea and Samaria. This has been accelerated by sweeping urbanization (from a 70% rural population in 1967 to 77% urban in 2021) as well as the rising marriage age for women (from 15 to 22), and the substantial use of contraceptives (70%). The data documents 1.5 million Arabs living in the PA and not the official Palestinian number (3 million). In 2021, there is a 68% Jewish majority in the combined area of pre-1967 Israel, Judea and Samaria. The writer headed Israel's Government Press Office and later held the rank of ambassador at the Israeli embassy in Washington.
2021-04-22 00:00:00
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