Ahead of Jerusalem Day, which this year celebrates 57 years since the city was reunified in the 1967 Six-Day War, the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research has published its 38th annual report on the city, which provides an in-depth statistical look at the capital.
With a population of 1,005,900 in 2022, Jerusalem's population is double the size of Tel Aviv's, according to the latest population census figures.
Construction in Jerusalem also hit a new high in 2023, with work beginning on 5,800 new housing units – the largest number to date. In 2023, the labor force participation rate among Arab women in the city continued rising as well, reaching 29%.
While 7,600 new immigrants chose Jerusalem as their first destination in Israel in 2022, continuing an upward trend, the city's overall migration balance remained negative at -7,200 compared to -6,600 the previous year when factoring in those leaving.
The top destinations for those migrating out of Jerusalem were Beit Shemesh (18%), Bnei Brak (4%), Givat Ze'ev (4%), Tel Aviv-Yafo (6%), Modi'in (3%), Beitar Illit (3%), Modi'in Illit (2%), Ma'ale Adumim (2%) and Kochav Ya'akov (1%).
On the education and tourism fronts, Jerusalem led the country with 41,300 students at its institutions of higher learning in the 2022/23 academic year and 2,735,400 foreign tourist overnight stays in 2023.
Public transportation use too was up 13% in 2023 compared to the year before, with light rail ridership increasing 20%.
The report additionally detailed the impacts of the Swords of Iron war, including 13,800 evacuees absorbed in Jerusalem's hotels and homes.
Moreover, there was a spike in jobseekers to 26,000 in November 2023 – double the number prior to the war – before recovering, and an 80% drop in tourist overnight stays in the final quarter of the year.
