Elizabeth Owen
(ZENIT News / Tel Aviv, 04.01.2024).- In December of 2023, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of the Israeli Government published data on the country’s Christian community. According to the Report, approximately 187,900 Christians reside in Israel, which represents 1.9% of the population. This fact represents a growth of 1.3% compared to the previous year, consolidating an upward trend that has been maintained over the last two years.
The Christian population in Israel has experienced constant growth. In 2021, their number rose to 182,000 with an increase of 1.4%, and in 2022, the registered growth was 2%, reaching 185,000 according to the CBS’ data. Of these, 75.3% are Arab Christians, representing 6.9% of the total Arab population.
As opposed to the trend in many countries of the Middle East, where Christin populations are decreasing and Christian persecution is increasing, Israel reflects a different reality, according to the Israeli Government. The country is not included in the list of the 50 principal countries where Christians suffer extreme levels of persecution, according to “Open Doors” Annual Report.
The demographic report of December 31, 2022 estimated the total population of Israel to be 9,656,000 inhabitants. Of these, 7,106,000 are Jews, 2,037,000 are Arabs and 513,000 belong to other categories.
In regard to social events, there were 815 Christian weddings in 2021, and the average age of the Christian grooms was 30.7 years, and of the brides 27.4 years, higher figures than the average between Jews and Muslims.
In regard to the birth rate, 2,343 babies were born to Christian women in 2022, of which approximately 73% (1,704) were children of Christian Arab women. The total fertility rate in 2022 was 1.68 children per Christian woman, being slightly less, 1.62, between Arab Christian women. In comparison, the fertility rate in Israel in 2023 was 2,931 births per woman, showing a decrease of 0.78% in regard to the previous year.
The great majority of Arab Christians reside in the North District (70.2%) and the Haifa District (13.6%), whereas 36.5% of non-Arab Christians live in these areas and 38.7% in the center of the country and in Tel Aviv.
In educational and labour terms, 84.1% of 12th grade Christian students obtained a graduation certificate in 2022, and 55.1% of Arab Christians continued their studies towards a Bachelor’s within the eight subsequent years to their graduation from secondary school.
With a 70.5 participation in the labour force in 2022, Christians showed a high level of economic activity. However, their participation decreased to 62.2% when Arab Christians were specifically observed.
This data offers a detailed vision of the Christian community in Israel, highlighting their demographic growth, socio-democratic characteristics and participation in education and the labour force.
