Jerusalem, September 15, 2023 — On the eve of the Jewish new year, the number of Jews worldwide stands at approximately 15.7 million compared to 15.6 million in the previous year, according to newly released statistics from The Jewish Agency for Israel.
Among the global Jewish population, the number of Jews in Israel is 7,200,000, an increase from 7,080,00 last year. Meanwhile, about 8.5 million live outside Israel, with approximately 6.3 million of them living in the United States. These figures come from renowned Jewish demographic expert Professor Sergio DellaPergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will be published in the American Jewish Year Book 2023. The figure for the U.S. was revised after in-depth study of the data from the last Pew Research Center survey.
Adjustments were made to last year’s estimates that are in line with newly released data, including the results of national censuses in several countries with significant Jewish populations. For example, the estimates for Russia and Ukraine were revised according to the significant migration that followed the hostilities in the region.
The Jewish population numbers refer to persons who define themselves as Jews by religion or otherwise and who do not identify with another religion. The total number of Jews and persons who would potentially be eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return from around the world rose to 25.5 million people, of which 7.7 million are in Israel and 18 million live outside Israel. There are currently over 500,000 Israelis who became citizens under the Law of Return but are not registered as Jews with Israel’s Population Authority.
The proportion of Jews living in Israel stands at 46%, an increase of one-half percent over the previous year’s adjusted data.
The following are updated Jewish population figures from countries with a significant Jewish population as of January 2023. These figures reflect the core Jewish community and not those eligible for Aliyah under the Law of Return:
- France: 440,000
- Canada: 398,000
- United Kingdom: 312,000
- Argentina: 171,000
- Russia: 132,000
- Australia: 117,200
- Germany: 125,000
- Brazil: 90,000
- South Africa: 50,000
- Hungary: 46,000
- Ukraine: 33,000
- Mexico: 40,000
- The Netherlands: 29,700
- Belgium: 29,000
- Italy: 26,900
- Switzerland: 20,500
- Uruguay: 16,200
- Chile: 15,700
- Sweden: 14,900
- Turkey: 14,200
- Spain: 13,000
- Austria: 10,300
- Panama: 10,000
