Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Israel's Jews live in the north and the south, where, in contrast, the majority of the Arab popu-
lation resides. Jerusalem is home to approximately 10 percent of the total Jewish population,
and about 5 percent of Israeli Jews live in the West Bank.
Arabs make up slightly more than half of the population in the north; Jewish and Arab
households balanced in relative number there by 1980. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, the
Arab population began moving out of the northern region and settling in east Jerusalem; to-
day, nearly one-fi fth of the total Arab population in Israel resides in east Jerusalem. Jerusalem
has seen a decline in the relative number of Jews since 1948; it has gone from 97 percent Jewish
to 70 percent Jewish, although the change is due largely to the addition of east Jerusalem —
there has been little change in the western part of the city.
Whereas an average-sized household in Israel consists of 3.73 family members, Arab
households tend to be larger, with 4.87 family members, and Jewish households tend to be
smaller, with 3.53. Average household size also varies between cities. For example, an average
household in Jerusalem —with its larger portion of Orthodox (Haredi and Dati) Jews, who
tend to have more children —has 4.26 family members, whereas an average household in Tel
Aviv has 2.98 members. Haifa has an average household size of 3.05; Rishon LeZion, 3.35; and
Ashdod, 3.56.
While the rise in Jewish population in past years was primarily due to the immigration
surge, the population rise of the Arab population resulted from a high fertility rate. Both fac-
tors have declined. Religious piety has been more consistent in infl uencing the Jewish fertil-
ity rate. The Haredim have the highest fertility rates within the Jewish population, especially
compared to secular Jews.
In the Arab population, the Muslim community tends to have a higher fertility rate than
the Christian community. Aside from religion, factors that contribute to a high fertility rate in-
clude professional opportunities, education level, and cultural background. In the early years
of statehood, the Arab population had three times the fertility rate of the Jewish population.
Today, the Israeli Arab population has only a 33 percent higher fertility rate than the Jewish
population, and the gap is quickly closing.
Life spans for Israelis have increased dramatically across the board. The decline in mortality
rate can be credited to improved health services and better living conditions. Nevertheless, the
Muslim and Druze communities have higher mortality rates than Jews.
Since the 1950s, average Jewish life expectancy has increased by 12 years while the average
life expectancy of the entire population of Israel has increased by approximately 8.5 years.
Among Israelis as a whole, male life expectancy stood at 70.1 years of age between 1971 and
1974, while female life expectancy stood at 73.4 years. By 2005, male life expectancy had in-
creased to 78.3 years, and female life expectancy had increased to 82.2 years.
Educational level is also increasing dramatically. In the early years of statehood, most Arab
women did not even attend high school. In 1961, a national census recorded that 70 percent of
Arab women were uneducated (that is, did not go to school at all or had only minimal school-
ing). Three decades later, this had fallen to 10 percent.
Other statistics show a similarly signifi cant change. Twenty-one percent of females and
23 percent of males pursued a college education in 1985. These percentages increased to 40 and
42 percent, respectively, by 2005, with females surpassing males thereafter. In 2005 the number
