JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s population rose slightly to nearly 7.5 million, three-fourths of whom are Jewish.
Jews comprise 75.5 percent of the 7,465,500 Israelis, according to the annual pre-Rosh Hashanah report released Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
In addition to some 5,634,300 Jews, the report showed that Israel’s population has 1,513,200 Arabs, or 20.3 percent, and 318,000 defined as others.
In 2008, the Jewish population grew by 1.7 percent and the Arab population by 2.6 percent. Israel’s population has been growing at a rate of 1.8 percent annually since 2003.
Israel’s population remains young, with 28.4 percent of Israelis younger than 14. Israelis aged 65 and older stood at 9.7 percent.
In addition, Jewish Israelis are marrying later, with 32 percent of men and 42 percent of women aged 25 to 29 remaining single.
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