 |
Israel@ 60 Statistics-Provided by Jewish National Fund
Contact: Jodi Bodner • JNF Director of Communications • 212-879-9305 ext. 221 • jbodner@jnf.org
May 8, 2008 -- New York, NY -- As Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary, the country looks like this:
Population
-
The population of Israel presently numbers 7,282,000. At the establishment of the State, the population of Israel was only 806,000.
-
Approximately 5,499,000 residents are Jews, making up 75.5% of the entire population.
-
The Arab population numbers approximately 1,461,000, and comprises 20.1% of the entire population of Israel.
-
Other ethnic groups number 311,000, or 4.4% of the population.
-
As of today, approximately 69% of the total Jewish population consists of native born “sabras” as opposed to only 35% in 1948.
-
During the past year 156,400 babies were born, approximately 18,000 immigrants came to Israel, and Israel’s population increased by approximately 130,000 residents, an increase of 1.8%. Most of the growth (88.8%) stemmed from natural population growth.
-
As a result of population growth, the population density in the country has increased from 43 people per square kilometer in 1948 to 310 per square kilometer in 2006. The area with the greatest population density is the Tel Aviv region (with approximately 7,000 people per square kilometer) and the most sparsely populated area is the southern region (72 people per square kilometer).
-
In 2006, Israel's population was more evenly distributed than in 1948. In 1948, the populations in the southern and northern regions were 19% of the total population, and until 2006 their portion increased to 31% of the total population. The portion of the population in the Tel Aviv region and the center decreased during that time from 71% to 53%.
-
In 1948 there was only one city in Israel with more than 100,000 residents -- Tel Aviv Yaffo (population 248,000) -- while in 2006 there were 14 cities of that size.
Education Level
-
The level of education of the Israeli population has risen continuously. The amount of adults who were totally uneducated has decreased from 16% in 1961 to 3% in 2007, and the amount of people who have completed 13 years of education or more increased from 9% to 42%.
-
In 1948, 208 people received academic degrees at the Hebrew University and the Technion. In 2006 close to 53,000 people received academic degrees from 62 academic institutions.
The Economy
Foreign Trade
-
Between the years1950-2007 the portion of imported consumer goods decreased from 26% to 13%.
-
During the 1970s export to Europe made up 70% of all Israeli exports due to the large portion of agricultural exports within the general exported products. In 2007, exports to Europe only made up 36% of total Israeli exports, while exports to America and Asia has increased continuously from 25% to 68%and from 1% to 18%, respectively.
Industry
-
Many industries were established from 1948 until the mid 1960s. In 1950, there were 20,000 industries, out of which 14% were defined as large industries (with over 10 employees). In 1965, the number rose to 25,000, of which 15% were defined as large industries.
-
During the years 1960-2007 industrial production increased by an annual average of 5.7%, while working hours for industrial labor increased by an annual average of 2%.
-
In 1950, Israeli exports totaled $35 million, of which 49% was agricultural export, 25% diamonds, and approximately 26% industrial export including food products, textiles, and clothing. In 2007, exports totaled $46 billion, out of which 3% was agricultural produce, 47% was industrial export and 23% was polished and unpolished diamonds.
Agriculture
-
From the beginning of the 1950s until the end of the 1980s, 60% of all agricultural areas were devoted to field crops. From 1990 this area decreased to 50%.
-
The area of vegetable cultivation increased drastically during the first four years of the State from 70,000 to 300,000 dunam (1 dunam = 4 acres). Between 1954 and 1988 the area increased from 300,000 to 400,000 dunam. From 1989 to 2005 it increased by 60% and reached 650,000 dunam.
-
In 2006, the amount of vegetables that were exported reached a peak of 260,000 tons. The export of flowers, which began on a small level in the 1950s, increased from the end of the 1980s and reached its peak of 224,000 tons in 1988.
Tourism
-
Since the establishment of the State 57 million tourists have visited Israel. Tourism increased from an annual average of 47,000 in the 1950s to 2.7 milion in 2000.
-
Following the start of the second intifada in 2001, tourism declined to a low point of 900,000 in 2002. Since then there has been a rise in tourism and in 2007 the number of tourists reached 2.3 million.
The information above is published by the National Bureau of Statistics.
# # #
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND (JNF) began in 1901 as a dream and vision to reestablish a homeland in Israel for Jewish people everywhere. Jews the world over collected coins in iconic JNF Blue Boxes, purchasing land and planting trees until ultimately, their dream of a Jewish homeland was a reality. JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people.
JNF embodies both heart and action; our work is varied in scope but singular in benefit. We strive to bring an enhanced quality of life to all of Israel’s residents, and translate these advancements to the world beyond. JNF is greening the desert with millions of trees, building thousands of parks, creating new communities and cities for generations of Israelis to call home, bolstering Israel’s water supply, helping develop innovative arid-agriculture techniques, and educating both young and old about the founding and importance of Israel and Zionism.
JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and United Nations NGO, which continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers.
For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.
|
 |
