Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israel releases latest demographics: Global Jewish population reaches 15.7 million

Worldwide Jewry still falls below pre-Holocaust levels

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According to a report released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, there are currently 15.7 million Jews worldwide. Among these, 7.1 million (approximately 45%) live in Israel, 6.3 million (about 40%) are in the United States, and the remaining 1.7 million (15%) are dispersed throughout other parts of the diaspora.

The data also shows that approximately 133,000 Holocaust survivors and victims of antisemitic persecution are living in Israel. Some reports show 245,000 Jewish survivors are still living across more than 90 countries.

These statistics were released on Thursday, just before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah in Hebrew), which will be observed in Israel from sundown on Sunday, May 5, to sundown the following evening Monday, May 6.

Even in 2024, the total number of Jews across the globe remains less than the Jewish population in 1939, before the outbreak of the Second World War.

According to CBS statistics, in 1939, on the eve of World War II, the global Jewish population was 16.6 million, including 449,000 in Israel (3%). In 1948, on the eve of the establishment of the Jewish state, the global Jewish population stood at just 11.5 million, including 650,000 in Israel (6%). By 2019, the global Jewish population had reached 14.8 million, with 6.8 million residing in Israel. If the current growth rate continues, the global Jewish population is projected to exceed the pre-Holocaust numbers within the next few years.

The report showed that of the 133,000 Holocaust survivors currently living in Israel, 62% are women and 38% are men. About 43% of the survivors were born during the years 1939-1945 and are currently aged 78-84. An additional 36% of all survivors are aged 85-89, with the remaining number being over 90 years old (approximately 20%).

The data also shows that half (50.8%) of all Holocaust survivors are widows or widowers, 36.8% are married, 10.4% are divorced, and only about 2% are single. Additionally, half of the Holocaust survivors are married to another survivor – 24,600 out of 49,300. Therefore, approximately 12,300 families in Israel consist of both spouses who are Holocaust survivors.

Of the Holocaust survivors living in Israel, 61.1% are European-born, 35.8 % of which are from the former Soviet Union, followed by 10.8% born in Romania, and 4.9% born in Poland.

Another 16.5% of survivors were born in Morocco, and roughly 2.1% were born in Algeria, experiencing various restrictions during the Vichy regime. Approximately 10.9% of living Jews are from Iraq and experienced the Farhud pogroms. The remaining 6.6% are from Tunisia and Libya.

The CBS report data also revealed that 6.2% of all the survivors made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel even before it was established in 1948. Some 30.5% of the survivors arrived in Israel during the large immigration wave following Israel’s establishment (1948-1951). Another large wave occurred between 1952 and 1989, with 29.8% making aliyah, and approximately one-third (33.5%) arrived from former Soviet Union countries beginning in the 1990s.

Approximately 58.5% of Holocaust survivors from Germany and Austria immigrated to Israel before the establishment of the state, with most survivors from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iraq, and Libya arriving during the large immigration wave (1948-1951). The majority of those born in Morocco and Tunisia arrived in the 1950s and 1960s.

An estimated 95% of Holocaust survivors reside in urban settlements in Israel, with only about 5% residing in rural areas, similar to the rest of the Jewish community and other populations in Israel. Approximately one-third of the survivors live in major cities, with roughly 9,000 in Haifa, 8,500 in Jerusalem, 5,400 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, 5,000 in the cities of Ashdod and Netanya, and 4,000 in the cities of Beersheva, Petah Tikva, and Rishon Letzion. An estimated 10% of all Holocaust survivors currently reside in institutions nationwide.

According to data from Israel’s Yahad system, which has been helping to relocate Israeli evacuees during the war, approximately 1,500 Holocaust survivors were displaced from their homes in the north and south. The majority (80%) were relocated to hotels in cities, including Eilat, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Tiberias.