Israel’s population growth slowed in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the state’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), with the slump mainly attributed to Israelis leaving the country.
This comes as Israel fights a multi-front conflict that has dragged on for more than a year. The CBS cautioned, however, that the impact of war on long-term migration patterns should be fully assessed after one year, “meaning starting from November 2024 and onwards.”
In a report published Tuesday, the census office said that in 2024, Israel’s population grew by 1.1%, compared to 1.6% in 2023.
“The decrease is mainly due to the high number of Israelis emigrating from Israel in 2024,” it said, adding that last year, some 82,700 residents left Israel, compared to 55,000 the year before.
By December 31, 2024, Israel’s population was estimated at 10.027 million, the report said, topping the 10-million mark for the first time. However, the report included foreign nationals in the country as part of its count.
Israel has also been rocked by political turmoil. In 2023, it was shaken by mass protests against controversial plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the country’s judicial system.
It then launched a war on Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group led brutal attacks that killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 on October 7, 2023. More than 45,000 people have died in Gaza since that war began, according to the health ministry in the enclave.
Israel is also fighting against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which began firing at Israel on October 8, 2023, as well as conflicts with Iran, the Houthis in Yemen, and militants in Syria and Iraq who say they are attacking Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.