Tel Aviv, December 31 (IANS). Israel is facing another problem these days amidst the Gaza conflict. This problem is decreasing population. Israel’s population growth rate is set to fall below 1 percent in 2025, the lowest level since the country’s founding.
The study says that the growth rate has fallen below 1.5 percent twice in the country’s history; Both times this happened in the early 1980s. A huge decline of 1.42 percent in the country’s population was recorded in 1981 and 1.35 percent in 1983.
According to a new report from Israel’s socio-economic institute Taub Center, the population grew by only 0.9 percent this year. This has happened for the first time since the establishment of Israel in 1948.
The report said that the main reasons for this decline are decrease in birth rate, increase in death rate and migration. Israel’s population is set to reach 10,148,000 by September 2025, more than 12 times that of 1948, but the pace of growth has now slowed.
While the annual growth rate used to be as low as 1.5 percent, it is now approaching the average rate of OECD countries (about 0.6 percent), although in 2015 it was 2.0 percent.
Experts believe that this change is related to Israel’s economy, social policies and regional conflicts.
The government expressed concern over this, saying that they would introduce new schemes to boost the birth rate, such as family support programs and immigration facilities. However, the opposition has called it a failure of the government’s policies.
This development is important for Israel’s future, as high population growth has been part of the country’s identity. It is also being monitored internationally, as it may affect the demographic dynamics of the Middle East.
The Taub report states that the birth rate has remained stable in Israel compared to Western countries, while the death rate has been slowly increasing. Demographers reported that in 2024, 82,700 Israelis left the country and this trend continued in 2025.
–IANS
kr/
