As the State of Israel marks the 63rd anniversary of its establishment, its population has risen to over 7.7 million people, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). "The population of Israel numbers 7,746,000 people on the eve of Israel's 63rd Independence Day," a CBS press release said, noting that Israel counted just 806,000 residents at the time of its establishment in 1948. Israel's population is now three quarters Jewish (5.8 million), with the Arab minority representing 20.5 percent and non-Jewish immigrants and their children making up 4.2 percent of the country’s residents.
The Central Bureau of Statistics counts among Israeli residents 270,000 Palestinians living in east Jerusalem and 18,000 Druze residents of the Golan Heights. The country's population is now majority native-born, with the so-called ‘Sabras’ making up over two thirds of Israelis. About half of them are second generation, the CBS said. The latest figures also showed that six Israeli cities now have more than 200,000 residents: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Rishon LeZion, Ashdod and Petah Tikvah. Israelis begin marking Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) on Monday evening.
