Is Settlement Building Continuing? 1,092 West Bank Dwellings Begun in 2024
Building began on 1,092 dwellings in Israeli West Bank localities in 2024, down from 2,724 in 2022, on Central Bureau of Statistics figures.
Building began on 1,092 dwellings in Israel’s West Bank localities in 2024, down from 2,724 in 2022, on preliminary figures the Central Bureau of Statistics published on 4 August 2025. Completions moved the other way, rising to 2,026 in 2024, and 4,920 dwellings were under construction at the end of that year. The Bureau counts these dwellings in its Judea and Samaria Area row, which it defines as Israeli localities; East Jerusalem sits in its Jerusalem District.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1,092 | Dwellings whose construction began, Judea and Samaria Area, preliminary | 2024 |
| 2,724 | Dwellings whose construction began, Judea and Samaria Area | 2022 |
| 2,026 | Dwellings whose construction was completed, preliminary | 2024 |
| 4,920 | Dwellings under active construction at year end, preliminary | End of 2024 |
| 580 | Starts in new buildings of 3 or more dwellings, preliminary | 2024 |
| 66,784 | Dwellings whose construction began, grand total for the table, preliminary | 2024 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Table 20.6, published 4 August 2025. The Judea and Samaria Area rows cover Israeli localities only.
Construction began on 1,092 West Bank dwellings in 2024, down from 2,724
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 2,724 dwellings begun in the Area’s Israeli localities in 2022, 2,234 in 2023 and 1,092 in 2024. The 2024 figure is preliminary. On the Bureau’s own totals, the Area accounted for 1,092 of the 66,784 dwellings begun in 2024, about 1.6%, a division of two printed figures rather than a share the Bureau prints.
| Year | Dwellings begun, Judea and Samaria Area | Dwellings begun, grand total |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,724 | 69,637 |
| 2023 | 2,234 | 64,235 |
| 2024, preliminary | 1,092 | 66,784 |
Completions reached 2,026 dwellings in 2024, the Bureau counts
The Central Bureau of Statistics counts 1,507 dwellings completed in the Area’s Israeli localities in 2022, 2,010 in 2023 and 2,026 in 2024, the last figure preliminary. In 2024 the Bureau records more dwellings completed than begun, 2,026 against 1,092.
4,920 dwellings were under construction at the end of 2024
The Central Bureau of Statistics reports the stock of dwellings under active construction at each year end, a third measure beside starts and completions. It is a count of work in progress on 31 December, not a count of building done during the year.
- End of 2022: 5,647 dwellings
- End of 2023: 5,854 dwellings
- End of 2024: 4,920 dwellings, preliminary
Starts in buildings of 3 or more dwellings fell to 580
The Central Bureau of Statistics splits starts into three building types, and the three sum exactly to the Area row in every year. Starts in new buildings of 3 or more dwellings went from 1,803 in 2022 to 580 in 2024; starts in new buildings of 1 to 2 dwellings went from 904 to 498.
| Building type | 2022 | 2023 | 2024, preliminary |
|---|---|---|---|
| New buildings, 1 to 2 dwellings | 904 | 801 | 498 |
| New buildings, 3 or more dwellings | 1,803 | 1,418 | 580 |
| Added to existing buildings | 17 | 15 | 14 |
| Total, Judea and Samaria Area | 2,724 | 2,234 | 1,092 |
The Bureau counts dwellings in Israeli localities, not settlements or outposts
Table 20.6 counts dwellings by construction stage. It publishes no count of localities, settlements or outposts established, no figure for housing units advanced or approved in plans, and no budget. Its Judea and Samaria Area row covers Israeli localities, and East Jerusalem is counted in the Jerusalem District.
- Counted: dwellings begun, completed and under construction, by year and building type
- Not counted: new localities, unauthorized outposts, planning approvals, spending
- Located elsewhere: the Bureau’s count of localities, in Table 2.16 of the Statistical Abstract
Which figures may not be added together?
Starts, completions and dwellings under construction are three stages of one process, and adding them counts the same dwelling more than once. All 2024 figures are preliminary. The shares on this page are divisions of the Bureau’s printed totals, not shares the Bureau prints. The State Comptroller figures in the questions below count localities and land on different definitions from the Bureau’s tables and do not merge with them.
Questions readers ask
How many Israelis live in West Bank localities?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counts 504.7 thousand residents in the Judea and Samaria Area’s Israeli localities at 31 December 2023, a preliminary figure, against 481.9 thousand at the April 2022 census. The row excludes the Area’s Palestinian population.
How many Israeli localities are there in the West Bank?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counted 127 Israeli localities in the Judea and Samaria Area in both 2022 and 2023. The State Comptroller recorded 120 Israeli localities in Area C in its 2016 audit, the Civil Administration’s own count on its own definitions, so the two are not a series.
How has that population changed since 2008?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 281.1 thousand residents in 119 Israeli localities at the December 2008 census, and 481.9 thousand in 127 localities at the April 2022 census.
Does the building count include East Jerusalem?
No. The Central Bureau of Statistics counts East Jerusalem in its Jerusalem District, outside the Judea and Samaria Area row.
Are the 2024 figures final?
No. The Central Bureau of Statistics marks every 2024 figure in Table 20.6 as preliminary, and a later edition may revise them.
Does the count measure buildings or homes?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counts dwellings. One new building of 3 or more dwellings appears in the table as several dwellings, not as one building.
What share of Israel’s new building is in the West Bank?
The Central Bureau of Statistics published 1,092 dwellings begun in the Area in 2024 against a grand total of 66,784, and 2,724 against 69,637 in 2022. The shares are the reader’s division of those figures.
Does Table 20.6 show housing units approved in plans?
No. The Central Bureau of Statistics publishes construction stages in this table: begun, completed and under way. Plans advanced or approved are not among them.
How much land has been allocated for settlement?
The State Comptroller recorded about 450,000 dunams in Area C allocated by the Custodian to the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division under permit agreements, as at its 2016 audit. That is land allocated, not land built on and not land declared state land.
How many residents live in the localities the Settlement Division built?
The State Comptroller found that 87 of the 120 Israeli localities in Area C were established and settled by the Settlement Division, holding about 100,000 residents. The 100,000 belongs to those 87, not to all 120.
Has Israel recorded illegal construction by Israelis in the West Bank?
The State Comptroller reported, from the Civil Administration Supervision Unit’s own count of cases it located, 6,605 cases of illegal construction identified in the Israeli sector from 1997 to 2013, of which 1,807, or 27%, were demolished. The figure counts cases the unit detected, not how much was built.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2024. Statistical Abstract of Israel 2024, Table 2.16: Localities and Population, by District, Sub-District and Population Group. cbs.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025. Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Table 20.6: Dwellings, by Construction Stage, Type of Locality, District and Type of Building. Published 4 August 2025. cbs.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2016. Judea and Samaria Area: Activity of the Supervision and Enforcement Unit and Aspects of Land Registration. Annual Report 66b. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
