Press Release – Jerusalem Day 2023

Recovering from Covid-19: In 2022 Jerusalem had double the number of foreign tourists compared with the previous year

On the occasion of Jerusalem Day, which this year marks the 56^th anniversary of the city’s unification, the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research is releasing the 2023 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, presenting a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the city’s situation.

The Yearbook was presented to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion by the Chairman of the Board of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, Dan Halperin, alongside the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. David Koren, and the Head of Data Analysis and Services, Yair Assaf-Shapira. Government ministers, Knesset members, and senior officials are also expected to receive copies.

The Yearbook indicates that Jerusalem is recovering from the tourism crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the city showing a 10-fold increase relative to 2021 in the number of tourists, which reached 673,600, as well the number of overnight stays by tourists, at 2.39 (compared with 2.17 for Tel Aviv).

Because tourism is a major employment sector for men from the Arab population, there has been a sharp increase in their labor force participation rate, which reached 81% in 2022 – exceeding the 2019 pre-pandemic rate, at 78%, as well as the rate for 2021, at 69%.

Jerusalem Mayor, Moshe Lion:

“Jerusalem is in the midst of a revolutionary shift that is already making its mark: the city is prospering and growing, and its businesses and tourism are on the rise. Jerusalem ranks first in Israel in terms of urban renewal, and when it comes to housing the city recorded a 3-fold increase in new building permits. Its streets are attractive and well-tended, and young people from central Israel have been flocking back to the city, joined by high-tech giants from around the country and the rest of the world who are bringing high-quality employment opportunities to the city. It seems that there is no longer any room for doubt that Jerusalem embodies ‘what’s up-and-coming’ in Israel!

Dr. David Koren, CEO of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research:

“For nearly 40 years now, the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research has been producing the Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem. Over the years, the Yearbook has established itself as the main knowledge base for decision-makers in the various fields that touch upon life in the city, and it constitutes the crowning achievement of the Institute’s research efforts throughout the year. After three challenging years of Covid-19, which devastated tourism to the city, it’s heartening to see Jerusalem gradually returning to the levels of activity we had before the outbreak of the pandemic. We can also draw encouragement from certain positive parameters, such as those indicating that Jerusalem is the preferred destination for new immigrants, as well as Jerusalem’s enhanced status as an important metropolis and the formation of close ties between the city and its surrounding localities in a range of areas, including employment, education, leisure, and recreation, among others.”

Full Press Release 

Key Points

Approaching one million | Jerusalem is maintaining its status as Israel’s most populous city. In 2021 its population totaled 966,200, double that of Tel Aviv Metropolitan Jerusalem continues its growth trend | with more than 1.4 million residents living in 80 localities surrounding the city. Immigration | The number of new immigrants who chose to live in Jerusalem – 3,700 – was the highest among Israel’s cities Construction | In 2022, a record number of 7,300 construction permits were issued in Jerusalem.