Jerusalem at a Glance: 2005-2006

Population

At the end of 2006 the population of Jerusalem stood at 733.3 thousand. The Jewish population numbered 481.0 thousand and the Arab 252.4 thousand; the Arab population was composed of a Muslim majority (94%) and a Christian minority. For that year the population of Jerusalem constituted 10% of Israel’s total population, Jerusalem’s Jewish population accounted for 8% of the country’s Jewish population, and Jerusalem’s Arab population was 18% of the country’s Arab population.

Employment

In 2006 the rate of participation in the civilian labor force (the percentage of the employed and the unemployed actively seeking employment among the population over age 15) was 45% in Jerusalem. This rate is low compared to the rate of participation in the labor force in all of Israel (56%), in Tel Aviv (64%), or in Haifa (56%). The rate of participation in the labor force among the Jewish population of Jerusalem was 50% (compared to 59% among the Jewish population in Israel) and among the Arab population 35% (compared with 43% among all of Israel’s Arab population). The low rate of participation in the labor force in Jerusalem is largely the result of the low rates of employment of Ultra-Orthodox men and of Arab women.

Education

Jerusalem’s educational system is the largest, most heterogeneous, and most complex in Israel. This system must provide solutions for a variety of populations with different needs. There are four major types of schools: state schools, state-religious schools, ultra-Orthodox schools (which since 1993 are run by a separate department within the municipality) and Arab schools. The Ultra-Orthodox schools are divided between talmudei torah and independent schools, which are also divided up among different hatzerot and communities. Arab schools are divided between municipal schools and non-municipal ones; the latter includes religious schools belonging either to churches or to the Muslim waqf (religious authorities) or to other private bodies. In most of the Arab schools boys and girls are separated.

Construction

At the end of 2006 there were 184,006 apartments in Jerusalem (according to records on residential municipal taxes), of which 146,539 (80%) were apartments in Jewish neighborhoods and 37,467 (20%) were in Arab neighborhoods. The average apartment size was 77 square meters: 77 sq. meters in Jewish neighborhoods and 74 sq. meters in Arab neighborhoods. Thus there is a small gap between the average size of apartments in Jewish and Arab neighborhoods. However, in terms of housing density (sq. meter per person) the average in Jewish neighborhoods is significantly lower than in Arab neighborhoods. The average housing density in Jerusalem was 19 sq. meters per person; 24 sq. meters per person in Jewish neighborhoods as compared to 11 sq. meters per person in Arab ones.

Tourism

In 2006 the number of hotel guests in Jerusalem was 1,042,300, compared with 556,200 in 2002 and 1,211,600 in 2000. The number of tourists in 2006 stood at 629,500 compared with 189,100 in 2002 and 895,000 in 2000. 46% of the foreign guests were from America (mostly from North and Central America), and 34% were from Europe. The number of Israeli guests in 2006 was 412,900, compared with 367,100 in 2002 and 316,100 in 2000.

Transportation

In 2005 there were 146,451 motorized vehicles registered in Jerusalem, 77% of which were private cars. In Tel Aviv, by comparison, there were 220,739 registered motorized vehicles (most of the country’s company vehicles are listed in Tel Aviv), 70% of which were private cars. In 2005 the level of motorization (number of vehicles per 1,000 residents) in Jerusalem was 203. The level of motorization of private vehicles in Jerusalem stood at 157, compared with 182 nationwide, 409 in Tel Aviv and 286 in Haifa.