Global Jewish population hits 15.7 million ahead of new year, 46% of them in Israel

The global Jewish population climbed to 15.7 million over the last year, while the number of those living in Israel hit 7.2 million, according to figures the Jewish Agency released on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.

The data showed that the global Jewish population grew by some 100,000 over the past year. Israel accounts for 46 percent of the world Jewry, similar to the previous year, with 8.5 million living in communities in the Diaspora.

Following Israel, the United States has the second-largest Jewish population with around 6.3 million.

The countries with the next 10 largest Jewish populations are France (440,000), Canada (398,000), the United Kingdom (312,000), Argentina (171,000), Russia (132,000), Germany (125,000), Australia (117,200),  and Brazil (90,000). The figures were based on estimates by Prof. Sergio Della Pergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Jewish Agency said some 27,000 Jews live in Muslim-majority countries, with 14,200 in Turkey, 9,100 in Iran, 2,100 in Morocco, 1,000 in Tunisia, and 500 in the United Arab Emirates.

There were 80 countries in the world with Jewish populations between 100 and 10,000 people.

The statistics are based on self-identification as Jewish and not as any other religion. According to the Jewish Agency, when also including those eligible to get citizenship under Israel’s Law of Return, which requires at least one Jewish grandparent, there are 25.5 million Jews worldwide.