פרסומים – מכון ירושלים למחקרי מדיניות

Summary

Publication Year: 2010

Authors:

Michal Korach, Dr. Maya Choshen, Dan Kaufmann

Jerusalem Facts and Trends is one of the Institute’s premier publications. It is an accessible guide through which anyone from a variety of fields can find useful information on Jerusalem. The publication analyzes the complex reality that is ‘modern Jerusalem’ and examines the area, the diverse populations that inhabit the city, employment, education, construction and tourism The data used in the publication is largely drawn from the Institute’s Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, published annually.

Population

At the end of 2008 Jerusalem had 763,600 inhabitants. The Jewish population among other populations was 495,000 inhabitants and the Arab population numbered 268,600 inhabitants. At the end of 2007 the population of Jerusalem was 747,600 people. The Jewish population was 487,100 and the Arab population was 260,500. The Arab population includes an Arab majority (95%) and a Christian minority. This year Jerusalem’s population comprised 10% of the total population of Israel; the Jewish population made up 8% of Israel’s Jewish population while the Arab population constituted 18% of Israel’s Arab population.

Immigration

In recent years there has been a marked decline in the number of immigrants coming to Israel. In 2002 there were 33,600 new immigrants who arrived in Israel; their numbers dropped to 21,200 in 2005 and to only 18,100 in 2007. By contrast, the number of immigrants in Jerusalem during these same years has remained stable, and stands at an average of 2,500 immigrants annually. In 2007, 2,459 new immigrants settled in Jerusalem, and they constituted some 14% of the total number of immigrants to Israel that year. For the sake of comparison, only 5% of all immigrants to Israel settled in Tel Aviv that year, and only 4% settled in Haifa.

Religious Affiliation

In 2005-2007 (yearly average) 28% of Jews (age 20+) in Jerusalem defined themselves as Ultra-Orthodox, 17% defined themselves as religious, 32% as traditional and 23% as secular. The percentage of residents age 20+ who defined themselves as Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem (28%) is the largest group within Israel’s major cities and is four times the percentage of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel (7%). The percentage of Jerusalemites age 20+ who see themselves as religious (17%) is also greater relative to the major cities in Israel and is 1.7 times the percentage nationwide. The percentage of traditional Jews in Jerusalem (33%) is similar to Israel’s major cities except for Ashdod, while the percentage of secular Jews in Jerusalem (23%) is lower when compared to all of Israel and the major cities.

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