Which Religious Group Is Growing Fastest in Israel? Muslims, at 2.2% in 2024
Muslims grew 2.2% in 2024, the fastest rate by religion on Central Bureau of Statistics figures, against 1.0% for Jews and 1.1% overall.
Muslims grew 2.2% in 2024, the fastest annual rate of any religion in the Central Bureau of Statistics’ population tables, against 1.0% for Jews and 1.1% for Israelis overall. The Bureau classifies Israelis by religion as Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and those not classified by religion. None of the five is a Haredi category. Natural increase added more Jews than Muslims over the same year, and Jewish women’s fertility rate of 3.07 was above Muslim women’s 2.74.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2% | Annual growth of Muslim Israelis, the highest rate by religion | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 1.0% | Annual growth of Jewish Israelis | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 1.1% | Annual growth of all Israelis, foreign residents excluded | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 90.5 thousand | Natural increase among Jews, births minus deaths | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 34.0 thousand | Natural increase among Muslims, births minus deaths | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 3.07 and 2.74 | Total fertility rate of Jewish and of Muslim women, children per woman | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2024 |
| 12.3% | Haredi share of Israel’s population | State Comptroller, relaying Central Bureau of Statistics data | End of 2022 |
Muslims grew 2.2% in 2024, fastest of the Bureau’s religions
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded the highest 2024 growth rate among Muslims, at 2.2%. The rates cover Israelis only, so foreign residents sit outside every row. Haredi Israelis are counted inside the Jewish row, because the classification is by religion and has no Haredi category.
| Religion | Annual growth rate | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Muslims | 2.2% | 2024 |
| Jews | 1.0% | 2024 |
| Druze | 1.0% | 2024 |
| Christians | 0.7% | 2024 |
| Arab Christians, within Christians | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Not classified by religion | minus 0.9% | 2024 |
| All Israelis | 1.1% | 2024 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Table 2.10. Israelis only.
The ranking is an annual rate of growth. It is not a ranking of size, and it is not a share of the population.
Natural increase added 90,500 Jews and 34,000 Muslims in 2024
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded natural increase, births minus deaths, of 90.5 thousand Jews and 34.0 thousand Muslims in 2024. The Jewish migration balance was minus 15.6 thousand and the Muslim migration balance 1.9 thousand. The fastest rate and the largest natural increase belong to different groups.
The population counts at each end of the year come from the same tables. More detail on the number of Muslims living in Israel has its own page.
| Religion | Start of 2024 | End of 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Jews | 7,139.2 thousand | 7,212.9 thousand |
| Muslims | 1,777.1 thousand | 1,815.6 thousand |
| Christians | 180.6 thousand | 181.8 thousand |
| Druze | 151.6 thousand | 153.0 thousand |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Tables 2.10 and 2.2. Israelis only.
Jewish women’s fertility of 3.07 exceeds Muslim women’s 2.74
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded a total fertility rate of 3.07 children per woman for Jewish women in 2024 and 2.74 for Muslim women. Across all women, Israel’s fertility rate was 2.87. The Bureau’s tables classify fertility by religion, population group, continent of birth and district, and carry no Haredi category.
The same tables carry the long run:
- Muslim women: 9.23 in 1960 to 1964, and 2.74 in 2024.
- Jewish women: 3.39 in 1960 to 1964, 2.62 in the 1990s, and 3.07 in 2024.
- Arab Christian women, within Christians: 1.48 in 2024.
The Bureau’s religion tables carry no Haredi growth rate
The Central Bureau of Statistics published annual growth by religion in Tables 2.10 and 2.2 of the Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025. Those tables give no annual growth rate for Haredim. Israeli bodies do publish three other kinds of Haredi figure: a share, a projection and a natural-increase rate by locality.
The State Comptroller reported the share and the projection in a 2025 follow-up audit, drawing on Bureau data. The full projection sits on the page covering the Haredi share of Israel’s population.
- 12.3% of Israel’s population at the end of 2022.
- 22%, or 3.2 million people, in 2045, on the Bureau’s projection.
- 32%, or 6.4 million people, in 2065, on the Bureau’s projection.
The Central Bureau of Statistics published natural increase for every local authority for 2020. The national rate was 13.9 per 1,000 residents. Natural increase counts births minus deaths and excludes migration, so it is a rate per 1,000 and not a population growth rate. The Bureau states that high rates are found mainly in Jewish local authorities of Haredi character and in Muslim local authorities.
| Local authority | Group in the Bureau’s list | Natural increase per 1,000, 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Modi’in Illit | Jewish | 40.9 |
| Beitar Illit | Jewish | 40.4 |
| Immanuel | Jewish | 39.8 |
| Kiryat Ye’arim | Jewish | 39.0 |
| Lakiya | Non-Jewish | 35.7 |
| Tel Sheva | Non-Jewish | 33.8 |
| Ar’ara BaNegev | Non-Jewish | 32.0 |
| Segev Shalom | Non-Jewish | 31.5 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Local Authorities in Israel 2020, Table D. The four highest authorities in each group.
Arabs grew 2.0% in 2024, Jews and others 0.9%
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded growth of 2.0% for Arabs and 0.9% for Jews and others in 2024, under its second classification of the same population. The Arab group includes Muslims, Arab Christians and Druze. Jews and others includes non-Arab Christians and those not classified by religion.
The Bureau’s 2017 projection carries the Arab share forward:
| Year | Arab share of the total population | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | About 21% | Base year, end of 2015 |
| 2040 | Around 21% | Projection, medium variant |
| 2065 | 19% | Projection, medium variant |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Projections of Israel Population until 2065, 2017.
The Bureau states that the projection “does not presume to predict the future” and presents it as a planning framework. Its base excludes foreign workers and persons not in the population registry.
Which figures here may not be added together?
Religion rates and population-group rates may not be added or compared, because Muslims and Jews are religions while Arabs and Jews and others are groups in a different classification.
- The Central Bureau of Statistics states that since 2009 total growth is not the sum of natural increase and migration balance.
- Natural increase by locality is births minus deaths per 1,000 residents, not a percentage and not population growth.
- The 22% and 32% are Bureau projections relayed by the State Comptroller, not measurements; the 12.3% is end-2022.
- Growth and fertility rates cover Israelis only; from 2024 the fertility rates rest on population updated after the 2022 Census.
Questions readers ask
How many Muslims lived in Israel at the end of 2024?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 1,815.6 thousand Muslims at the end of 2024, counting Israelis only.
How many Jews lived in Israel at the end of 2024?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 7,212.9 thousand Jews at the end of 2024. Haredi Israelis are counted inside that figure.
How fast did Israel’s population grow in 2024?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded growth of 1.1% for Israelis overall in 2024. Foreign residents are outside that rate.
Did the number of Christians in Israel grow in 2024?
Yes. The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded growth of 0.7%, from 180.6 thousand to 181.8 thousand. Arab Christians grew 0.9%.
How many Druze live in Israel?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 153.0 thousand Druze at the end of 2024, up from 151.6 thousand at the start of the year.
Which group of Israelis shrank in 2024?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded a fall of 0.9% in the population not classified by religion in 2024.
How many Muslims lived in Israel in 1949?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 111.5 thousand Muslims at the end of 1949, against 1,013.9 thousand Jews.
What is the fertility rate of Arab and Jewish women by population group?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 2.94 children per woman for Jews and others and 2.59 for Arabs in 2024.
What is the fertility rate in Israeli localities in the West Bank?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 4.54 children per woman in 2024 for the Judea and Samaria Area, covering Israeli localities only. The Jerusalem District rate was 3.89.
How old are mothers in Israel when they give birth?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded an average age at birth of 30.6 in 2024, and 27.9 at first birth.
What does natural increase mean?
The Central Bureau of Statistics defines natural increase as live births minus deaths during a year, per 1,000 residents. It recorded a national rate of 13.9 in 2020 and 14.9 in 2019.
Which local authorities have the lowest natural increase?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded minus 4.7 per 1,000 for Kfar Shmaryahu in 2020, the lowest Jewish authority, where deaths exceeded births. The lowest non-Jewish authority was Mi’ilya, at 6.1.
How many Arabs are projected to live in Israel in 2065?
The Central Bureau of Statistics projected 3.8 million Arabs at the end of 2065 on its medium variant, within a range of 3.2 million to 4.6 million.
How many people are projected to live in Israel in 2065?
The Central Bureau of Statistics projected 20.0 million on its medium variant, within a range of 15.6 million to 24.9 million, from a base of 8.5 million at the end of 2015.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2017. Projections of Israel Population until 2065. Media release 138/2017. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/doclib/2017/138/01_17_138e.pdf. Official or primary record.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2022. Local Authorities in Israel 2020: Introduction, Comparative Tables. Publication 1879, Table D. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/DocLib/2022/local_authorities20_1879/h_print.pdf. Official or primary record.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025. Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Tables 2.10 and 2.2: Sources of Israelis’ Population Growth, by Type of Locality, Population Group and Religion; and Population of Israelis, by Religion. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2025/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_10.pdf and https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2025/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_02.pdf. Official or primary record.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025. Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Tables 2.28 and 2.29: Fertility Rates, by Age and Religion; and Fertility Rates, Average Age of Mother and Sex Ratio at Birth, by Selected Characteristics of the Mother, 2024. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2025/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_28.pdf and https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/DocLib/2025/2.ShnatonPopulation/st02_29x.pdf. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2025. Accessibility of Higher Education to Haredi Society, Follow-up Audit. Report 75c. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
