Map with the flag of Israel. Credit: Vrezh Gyozalyan/Shutterstock
On the eve of the Jewish New Year, the number of Jews worldwide stands at approximately 15.7 million compared to 15.6 million in the previous year, according to newly released statistics from the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Among the global Jewish population, the number of Jews in Israel is 7.2 million—an increase from 7.08 million last year. Meanwhile, about 8.5 million live outside Israel, with approximately 6.3 million of them living in the United States.
These figures come from Jewish demographic expert Professor Sergio DellaPergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will be published in the American Jewish Year Book 2023. The figure for the United States was revised after an in-depth study of the data from the last Pew Research Center survey.
Adjustments were made to last year’s estimates that are in line with newly released data, including the results of national censuses in several countries with significant Jewish populations. For example, the estimates for Russia and Ukraine were revised according to the significant migration that followed hostilities in the region.
The Jewish population numbers refer to persons who define themselves as Jews by religion or otherwise and who do not identify with another religion. The total number of Jews and persons who would potentially be eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return from around the world rose to 25.5 million people, of which 7.7 million are in Israel and 18 million live outside Israel. There are currently more than 500,000 Israelis who became citizens under the Law of Return but are not registered as Jews with Israel’s Population Authority.
The proportion of Jews living in Israel stands at 46%, an increase of .5% over the previous year’s adjusted data.
The following are updated Jewish population figures from countries with a significant Jewish population as of January 2023. These figures reflect the core Jewish community and not those eligible for aliyah under the Law of Return:
France: 440,000
Canada: 398,000
United Kingdom: 312,000
Argentina: 171,000
Russia: 132,000
Australia: 117,200
Germany: 125,000
Brazil: 90,000
South Africa: 50,000
Hungary: 46,000
Ukraine: 33,000
Mexico: 40,000
The Netherlands: 29,700
Belgium: 29,000
Italy: 26,900
Switzerland: 20,500
Uruguay: 16,200
Chile: 15,700
Sweden: 14,900
Turkey: 14,200
Spain: 13,000
Austria: 10,300
Panama: 10,000
Another 80 countries have Jewish populations of more than 100 but less than 10,000. About 27,000 Jews live in Arab and Muslim countries, of which 14,200 live in Turkey, 9,100 in Iran, 2,100 in Morocco, 1,000 in Tunisia, and 500 in the Emirates.
Source: JNS
