Jerusalem
On eve of Jewish New Year, Israel's population tops 9 million
By Itzhak Rabihiya
On cusp of Jewish year 5780, vast majority of Israelis say they are satisfied with their lives, the Central Bureau of Statistics finds, but more than one third say their financial situation could be better
The population count has grown by 2.1% since last year, and is expected to reach 10 million by 2024 and 20 million by 2065.
Today's Israeli society is made up of 74.2% Jews, 21% Arabs and 4% who are classed as others –
Of those describing themselves as religious, 12.8% say they are traditional, 11.3% call themselves religious and only 10.1% say they are ultra-Orthodox.
Israelis are generally satisfied with life, with 88.9% reporting they are pleased with their situation.
However, 36.1% claim they are unhappy with their economic circumstances: 29.9% said they were unable to pay their bills last year, while almost 25% said they had given up medicine or medical treatment and even hot meals due to a lack of funds.
Life expectancy for men in
Cancer is the leading cause of death for around one quarter of Israelis (25.2%), followed by cardiac disease (14.8%).
Statistics also show that one in seven Israelis (14.1%) suffer from severe disability.
When it comes to assets and property, 66.5% of Israelis own their own homes - and of that number, more than half are paying a mortgage.
Israeli households spend 24.2% of their total income on housing expenses, 20.2% on public and private transportation, including car insurance and gas, and 16.9% on food.
Almost every Israeli - 97.3% - owns at least one mobile phone and 78% of households own a computer and 83.7% of Israelis use the internet.
There are 14.8 million Jews in the world. Eight million do not live in
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