WASHINGTON (JNS) – On the eve of the Jewish year 5785, the Jewish population worldwide numbers 15.8 million, an increase of about 100,000 compared to 5784, according to data published by The Jewish Agency.
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Israel is home to 7.3 million Jews, compared to 7.2 million at the beginning of 5784, while 8.5 million Jews live outside of Israel—including 6.3 million in the United States and 2.2 million in other countries, according to the data based on research by demographer professor Sergio Della Pergola from the Hebrew University.
“The existential relationship between the Jewish communities around the world and the State of Israel has strengthened in the past year. We are witnessing unprecedented support that provides us the strength and hope to carry on,” said Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, chairman of The Jewish Agency.
The Jewish population estimates for Russia and Ukraine were adjusted for the significant immigration that followed the war there. In some countries, calculations were made according to recent surveys and in other countries, the total was determined according to statistical data and accepted tools for demographic assessment.
The data in this study refers to what is defined as the core Jewish population: people who identify as Jews and/or sons and daughters of at least one Jewish parent, and who are not members of another religion.
The core Jewish population in countries with a total of at least 10,000 Jews, as of January 2024 (not including broad definitions of those entitled to the Law of Return), is as follows:
France 438,500
Canada 400,000
Great Britain 313,000
Argentina 170,000
Germany 125,000
Russia 123,000
Australia 117,000
Brazil 90,300
South Africa 49,500
Hungary 45,000
Mexico 41,000
Holland 35,000
Ukraine 32,000
Belgium 29,000
Italy 26,800
Switzerland 20,500
Uruguay 16,100
Chile 15,500
Turkey 15,000
Sweden 14,900
Spain 13,000
Austria 10,300
Panama 10,000
Another silly article brought to you by Joseph Feldman: unfortunately, due to the secular American and European Jews having reached 95% intermarriage rates in the younger generations, coupled with below replacement TFR for the last six decades, the total Jewish population, of which the secular are still about 80% of, has been slowly going down in an accelerating fashion, and is about to reach a collapse with the natural death of the babyboomer and X generations, as theses generations did not produce their replacement in the next generations. It will take a few generations for the frum to rebuild just to the current numbers, and that is providing that the chinuch system drops schtick and becomes real again, so that it doesn’t produce OTD’s.
All in all I would be very surprised if the half of the total number of “Jews” in this report are actually Jews. I think it’s many fewer.