Population data for 2011 released by the Central Bureau of Statistics Monday revealed that while the growth rate of the Arab population in Israel continues to decline, it is still increasing at a rate that is faster than that of the Jewish population in the country.`

With the addition of 141,500 people in 2011, Israel’s population rose to 7.836 million, an increase of 1.8%. The net growth was made up of 125,500 births and 16,600 new immigrants.

However, while the Jewish population grew by 1.7%, the Arab population grew by 2.4%. While the overall Arab growth rate has been in a decline since 2000 when it reached an estimated 3.8% growth, the rate continues to be higher than that of the Jewish population. 

CBS noted that the growth rate of the total population in 2011 reflects a relative stability in the growth rate of the country over the past decade, similar to the 1980’s when immigration rates were among the lowest in the history of the state. By contrast, during the 1990’s the growth rate in Israel was about 3% on average per year.