Almost half of immigrants to Israel in 2021 are not Jewish, a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics published this week said.
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According to the data, of the 25,000 who made aliyah under the Law Of Return, less than 20,000 are Jewish. Another 9,000 non-Jews stayed in the Jewish state in 2021 under the Entry into Israel Law. Together, that makes up 42% of last year's immigrants.
The CBS publishes a report at the beginning of every civil year, detailing changes to Israel's demography in the previous year.
In 2021, the Israeli population grew by 112,000 people. Of that, 87% was due to natural population growth.
As for the Jewish population, immigration made up 13% of its growth. In contrast, the non-Jewish and non-Arab population known as "others" (excluding foreigners living and/or working in Israel), saw an 80% increase.
"While the Israeli government approves hasty decisions in favor of increasing the non-Jewish population, the results of the perforated policy are already clearly visible in the CBS data," right-wing NGO Israeli Immigration Policy Center said. "Four out of five Israelis who move abroad are Jewish, whereas two out of five immigrants to Israel are non-Jewish.
"We will continue to work to ensure the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," it said.
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