Jewish population
Encyclopedia : J : JE : JEW : Jewish population
- See related articles: Jewish ethnic divisions and Who is a Jew?.
Jewish population refers to the number of
Jews in the world, something that is difficult to calculate, given the constant debates of
the definition of Jew. All
demographic numbers given in this article will be estimates, from sources noted below.
See also the histories of specific Jewish population centers, as well as Jews by country for more detailed numbers.
Total population
According to the World Jewish Population Survey of 2002
[[World Jewish Population Survey of 2002]], "The size of world Jewry at the beginning of 2002 is assessed at 13,296,100." According to a 2002 study by the Jewish Agency
[[Number of Jews dropping, Israeli agency warns] 4 December 2002], "There are 12.9 million Jews in the world..."
Estimates for 2006 usually place the world population of Jews around 14 million. Adherents.comJudaism, continued...] citations at Adherents.com] cites sources stating that there are 14 million Jews in the world in 1970, 1977, 1983, 1992, and 1995. Additional sources cite the population at numbers ranging from 12.8 million to 18.2 million.
Largest populations
The countries with the largest estimated Jewish population are, in order:
- Israel
- United States of America
- France
- Russia
- Canada
- Argentina
- United Kingdom
- Ukraine
- Germany
- Australia
- South Africa
Note: The list above does not match the list below.
Top 50
Top 50 by population
| Rank |
Country |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Total |
| 1
| United States
| 5,914,682
| 2%
| 40.5%
|
| 2
| Israel
| 5,021,506
| 80%
| 34.4%
|
| 3
| Russia
| 717,101
| 0.5%
| 4.91%
|
| 4
| France
| 606,561
| 1%
| 4.16%
|
| 5
| Argentina
| 395,379
| 1%
| 2.71%
|
| 6
| Canada
| 393,660
| 1.2%
| 2.70%
|
| 7
| United Kingdom
| 302,207
| 0.5%
| 2.07%
|
| 8
| Ukraine
| 142,276
| 0.3%
| 0.975%
|
| 9
| Germany
| 107,160
| 0.13%
| 0.734%
|
| 10
| Brazil
| 95,125
| 0.051%
| 0.652%
|
| 11
| Australia
| 90,406
| 0.45%
| 0.619%
|
| 12
| South Africa
| 88,688
| 0.2%
| 0.608%
|
| 13
| Belarus
| 72,103
| 0.7%
| <0.5%
|
| 14
| Hungary
| 60,041
| 0.6%
| <0.5%
|
| 15
| Mexico
| 53,101
| 0.05%
| <0.5%
|
| 16
| Belgium
| 51,821
| 0.5%
| <0.5%
|
| 17
| Spain
| 48,409
| 0.12%
| <0.5%
|
| 18
| Netherlands
| 32,814
| 0.2%
| <0.5%
|
| 19
| Moldova
| 31,187
| 0.7%
| <0.5%
|
| 20
| Uruguay
| 30,743
| 0.9%
| <0.5%
|
| 21
| Italy
| 30,213
| 0.052%
| <0.5%
|
| 22
| Venezuela
| 25,375
| 0.1%
| <0.5%
|
| 23
| Poland
| 24,999
| 0.065%
| <0.5%
|
| 24
| Chile
| 20,900
| 0.131%
| <0.5%
|
| 25
| Iran
| 20,405
| 0.03%
| <0.5%
|
| 26
| Ethiopia
| 20,000
| 0.027%
| <0.5%
|
| 27
| Sweden
| 18,003
| 0.2%
| <0.5%
|
| 28
| Uzbekistan
| 17,453
| 0.065%
| <0.5%
|
| 29
| Turkey
| 17,415
| 0.025%
| <0.5%
|
| 30
| India
| 15,405
| 0.005%
| <0.5%
|
| 31
| Switzerland
| 14,649
| 0.2%
| <0.5%
|
| 32
| Panama
| 10,029
| 0.33%
| <0.5%
|
| 33
| Latvia
| 9,092
| 0.397%
| <0.5%
|
| 34
| Austria
| 8,184
| 0.1%
| <0.5%
|
| 35
| Georgia
| 7,951
| 0.17%
| <0.5%
|
| 36
| Azerbaijan
| 7,911
| 0.1%
| <0.5%
|
| 37
| Denmark
| 7,062
| 0.13%
| <0.5%
|
| 38
| Romania
| 6,029
| 0.027%
| <0.5%
|
| 39
| New Zealand
| 5,447
| 0.135%
| <0.5%
|
| 40
| Greece
| 5,334
| 0.05%
| <0.5%
|
| 41
| Morocco
| 5,236
| 0.016%
| <0.5%
|
| 42
| Kazakhstan
| 4,100
| 0.027%
| <0.5%
|
| 43
| Lithuania
| 3,596
| 0.1%
| <0.5%
|
| 44
| Colombia
| 3,436
| 0.008%
| <0.5%
|
| 45
| Czech Republic
| 3,072
| 0.03%
| <0.5%
|
| 46
| Slovakia
| 3,041
| 0.056%
| <0.5%
|
| 47
| Peru
| 2,792
| 0.01%
| <0.5%
|
| 48
| Costa Rica
| 2,409
| 0.06%
| <0.5%
|
| 49
| Bulgaria
| 2,300
| 0.031%
| <0.5%
|
| 50
| Estonia
| 1,818
| 0.136%
| <0.5%
|
|
Top 50 countries with the most Jews.
|
Current population estimates
According to the [World Jewish Population Survey of 2002], "The size of world Jewry at the beginning of 2002 is assessed at 13,296,100. World Jewry constituted about 2.19 per 1,000 of the world’s total population. One in about 457 people in the world is a Jew. According to the revised figures, between 2001 and 2002 the Jewish population grew by an estimated 44,000 people, or about 0.3 percent."
According to a 2002 study[[Number of Jews dropping, Israeli agency warns] 4 December 2002] by the Jewish Agency, "the number of Jews in the world is declining at an average of 50,000 per year."
The major population centers of the Jewish community are (Table from the World Jewish Population Survey)
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
Region |
Population |
Percent b |
|
World |
13,296,100 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Americas, Total |
6,476,300 |
48.7 |
|
North c |
6,064,000 |
45.6 |
|
Central |
52,500 |
0.4 |
|
South |
359,800 |
2.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
Europe, Total |
1,558,500 |
11.7 |
|
European Union |
1,034,400 |
7.8 |
|
Other West |
19,600 |
0.1 |
|
Former USSR d |
410,000 |
3.1 |
|
Other East and Balkans d |
94,500 |
0.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
Asia, Total |
5,069,900 |
38.1 |
|
Israel h |
5,025,000 |
37.8 |
|
Former USSR d |
25,000 |
0.2 |
|
Other |
19,900 |
0.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Africa, Total |
87,200 |
0.7 |
|
North e |
7,400 |
0.1 |
|
South f |
79,800 |
0.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
Oceania g |
104,200 |
0.8 |
a January 1.
b Minor discrepancies due to rounding.
c U.S. and Canada.
d Asian regions of Russia and Turkey included in Europe.
e Including Ethiopia.
f South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other sub-Saharan countries.
g Australia, New Zealand.
h Including about 370,000 Jewish Israeli citizens living in the West Bank and Golan Heights.
Populations as a percentage
All estimates of population in this section are generated by taking the estimated percentage of Jews in each country, and multiplying it by the population of the country. Though figures given in the table may seem precise to many digits, they are often highly inaccurate, and can vary by significant margins from other published surveys. This data is intended to give rough estimates of the number of Jews in each country, more precise estimates for some countries are available in "Jewish population".
As an example, the tables below give the Jewish population of Argentina as 395,379 Jews in Argentina, generated from the fact that Jews are 1% of the population. The best survey-based sources generally estimate the number of Jews in Argentina at around 250,000[link], however, while still citing the Jews as 1% of the population. All the numbers below are similarly estimates, so the figures in the table below should be considered in the light of these variations, and should not be viewed as exact counts.
The percentage of Jewish population of each country was taken from the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2004 [link], and, if not available on that site, from Jewish Population Tables [link]. The total population of each country was taken from census.gov [link] (2005 estimates).
These numbers are for Jews as an ethnicity; many, but not all, practice the religion of Judaism.
By country
Note: The total at the end shows the entire population of the world, not just the listed countries
Jews by country
| Region |
Country |
Population (2005E) |
% Jewish |
Estimated number of Jews |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Afghanistan |
29 928 987 |
0.000003307 |
1 |
| North Africa |
Jews in Algeria |
32,531,853 |
0.0003% |
100 |
| South America |
Jews in Argentina |
39,537,943 |
1% |
395,379 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Armenia |
2,982,904 |
0.025% |
750 |
| Oceania |
Jews in Australia |
20,090,437 |
0.45% |
90,406 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Austria |
8,184,691 |
0.1% |
8,184 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Azerbaijan |
7,911,974 |
0.1% |
7,911 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Bahrain |
? |
? |
? |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Belarus |
10,300,483 |
0.7% |
72,103 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Belgium |
10,364,388 |
0.5% |
51,821 |
| South America |
Jews in Bolivia |
8,857,870 |
0.006% |
500 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
4,025,476 |
0.025% |
1,006 |
| Southern Africa |
Jews in Botswana |
1,640,115 |
0.006% |
100 |
| South America |
Jews in Brazil |
186,112,794 |
0.051% |
95,125 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Bulgaria |
7,450,349 |
0.031% |
2,300 |
| North America |
Jews in Canada |
32,805,041 |
1.2% |
393,660 |
| South America |
Jews in Chile |
15,980,912 |
0.131% |
20,900 |
| East Asia |
Jews in China |
1,306,313,812 |
0.00008% |
1,000 |
| South America |
Jews in Colombia |
42,954,279 |
0.008% |
3,436 |
| Central Africa |
Jews in Congo (Kinshasa) |
60,085,004 |
0.0002% |
120 |
| Central America |
Jews in Costa Rica |
4,016,173 |
0.06% |
2,409 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Croatia |
4,495,904 |
0.4% |
3000 |
| North America |
Jews in Cuba |
11,346,670 |
0.013% |
1,500 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Czech Republic |
10,241,138 |
0.03% |
3,072 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Denmark |
5,432,335 |
0.13% |
7,062 |
| Caribbean |
Jews in Dominican Republic |
8,950,034 |
0.001% |
100 |
| South America |
Jews in Ecuador |
13,363,593 |
0.007% |
935 |
| North Africa |
Jews in Egypt |
77,505,756 |
0.0001% |
100 |
| Central America |
Jews in El Salvador |
6,704,932 |
0.001% |
100 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Estonia |
1,332,893 |
0.136% |
1,818 |
| East Africa |
Jews in Ethiopia |
73,053,286 |
0.027% |
20,000 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Finland |
5,223,442 |
0.021% |
1,110 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in France |
60,656,178 |
1% |
606,561 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Georgia |
4,677,401 |
0.17% |
7,951 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Germany |
82,431,390 |
0.13% |
107,160 |
| West Africa - Ghana |
House of Israel |
18,412,247 |
.0043% |
800 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Greece |
10,668,354 |
0.05% |
5,334 |
| Central America |
Jews in Guatemala |
14,655,189 |
0.008% |
1,172 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Hungary |
10,006,835 |
0.6% |
60,041 |
| South Asia |
Jews in India |
1,080,264,388 |
0.0005% |
15,401 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Iran |
68,017,860 |
0.03% |
20,405 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Iraq |
26,074,906 |
0.0004% |
100 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Ireland |
4,015,676 |
0.03% |
1,204 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Israel |
6,276,883 |
80% |
5,021,506 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Italy |
58,103,033 |
0.052% |
30,213 |
| Caribbean |
Jews in Jamaica |
2,731,832 |
0.011% |
300 |
| East Asia |
Jews in Japan |
127,417,244 |
0.0008% |
1,002 |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Kazakhstan |
15,185,844 |
0.027% |
4,100 |
| East Africa |
Jews in Kenya |
33,829,590 |
0.001% |
400 |
| East Asia |
Jews in Korea, South |
48,422,644 |
0.0002% |
100 |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Kyrgyzstan |
5,146,281 |
0.018% |
926 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Latvia |
2,290,765 |
0.42% |
9,525 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Lebanon |
3,826,018 |
0.003% |
100 |
| Northern Africa |
Jews in Libya |
3,826,018 |
0% |
0 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Lithuania |
3,596,617 |
0.1% |
3,596 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Luxembourg |
468,571 |
0.14% |
655 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Macedonia |
2,045,262 |
0.0098% |
200 |
| North America |
Jews in Mexico |
106,202,903 |
0.05% |
53,101 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Moldova |
4,455,421 |
0.7% |
31,187 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Montenegro |
630,548 |
n.a. |
n.a. |
| North Africa |
Jews in Morocco |
32,725,847 |
0.016% |
5,236 |
| Southern Africa |
Jews in Namibia |
2,030,692 |
0.006% |
115 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in the Netherlands |
16,507,491 |
0.2% |
37,000 |
| Oceania |
Jews in New Zealand |
4,035,461 |
0.135% |
5,447 |
| West Africa |
Jews in Nigeria |
128,771,988 |
0.00008% |
10,000 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Norway |
4,593,041 |
0.027% |
1,240 |
| Central America |
Jews in Panama |
3,039,150 |
0.33% |
10,029 |
| South America |
Jews in Paraguay |
6,347,884 |
0.016% |
1,015 |
| South America |
Jews in Peru |
27,925,628 |
0.01% |
2,792 |
| Southeast Asia |
Jews in The Philippines |
87,857,473 |
0.0001% |
100 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Poland |
38,635,144 |
0.065% |
24,999 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Portugal |
10,566,212 |
0.007% |
739 |
| Caribbean |
Jews in Puerto Rico |
3,916,632 |
0.038% |
1,488 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Romania |
22,329,977 |
0.027% |
6,029 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Russia |
143,420,309 |
0.5% |
717,101 |
| Balkans |
Jews in Serbia |
9,778,991 |
0.022% |
2,200 |
| Southeast Asia |
Jews in Singapore |
4,425,720 |
0.007% |
300 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Slovakia |
5,431,363 |
0.056% |
3,041 |
| Central Europe |
Jews in Slovenia |
2,011,070 |
0.005% |
100 |
| Southern Africa |
Jews in South Africa |
44,344,136 |
0.2% |
88,688 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Spain |
40,341,462 |
0.12% |
48,409 |
| South America |
Jews in Suriname |
438,144 |
0.046% |
200 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Sweden |
9,001,774 |
0.2% |
18,003 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in Switzerland |
7,489,370 |
0.2% |
14,978 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Syria |
18,448,752 |
0.0005% |
100 |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Tajikistan |
7,163,506 |
0.001% |
100 |
| Southeast Asia |
Jews in Thailand |
65,444,371 |
0.0003% |
199 |
| Central America |
Jews in Trinidad and Tobago |
1,088,644 |
0.1% |
1,088 |
| North Africa |
Jews in Tunisia |
10,074,951 |
0.018% |
1,813 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Turkey |
69,660,559 |
0.025% |
17,415 |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Turkmenistan |
4,952,081 |
0.01% |
495 |
| East Africa |
Abayudaya |
28,816,000 |
0.003% |
750 |
| Eastern Europe |
Jews in Ukraine |
47,425,336 |
0.3% |
142,276 |
| Western Europe |
Jews in the United Kingdom |
60,441,457 |
0.5% |
302,207 |
| North America |
Jews in the United States |
295,734,134 |
2% |
5,914,682 |
| South America |
Jews in Uruguay |
3,415,920 |
0.9% |
30,743 |
| Central Asia |
Jews in Uzbekistan |
26,851,195 |
0.065% |
17,453 |
| South America |
Jews in Venezuela |
25,375,281 |
0.1% |
25,375 |
| Middle East |
Jews in Yemen |
20,727,063 |
0.001% |
200 |
| Southern Africa |
Jews in Zimbabwe |
12,746,990 |
0.006% |
764 |
| Total |
6,430,856,221 |
0.227% |
14,596,017 |
By region
These percentages were calculated by using the above numbers. The first percentage, 4th column, is the percentage of population that is Jewish in a region (Jews in the region * 100/total population of the region). The last column shows the Jewish percentage compared to the total Jewish population of the world (Jews in the region * 100/total Jewish population of the world).
(Note: Egypt, Sudan, and the Arab Maghreb countries are counted as part of North Africa, not Middle East).
Jews in Africa
| Region |
Total Population |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Jews total |
| Central Africa |
83,121,055 |
1,000 |
0.0001% |
0.0008% |
| East Africa |
193,741,900 |
20,400 |
0.011% |
0.14% |
| North Africa |
202,151,323 |
7,249 |
0.004% |
0.05% |
| Southern Africa |
137,092,019 |
89,667 |
0.065% |
0.614% |
| West Africa |
268,997,245 |
42,000 |
0.00004% |
0.0007% |
| Total |
885,103,542 |
160,316 |
0.013% |
0.805% |
Jews in Asia
| Region |
Total Population |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Jews total |
| Central Asia |
92,019,166 |
23,074 |
0.025% |
0.158% |
| East Asia |
1,527,960,261 |
2,102 |
0.0001% |
0.014% |
| Middle East |
274,775,527 |
5,076,338 |
1.847% |
34.779% |
| South Asia |
1,437,326,682 |
15,401 |
0.0004% |
0.037% |
| Southeast Asia |
571,337,070 |
599 |
0.0001% |
0.004% |
| Total |
3,903,418,706 |
5,117,514 |
0.131% |
34.993% |
Jews in Europe
| Region |
Total Population |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Jews total |
| Balkans |
65,407,609 |
18,299 |
0.028% |
0.125% |
| Central Europe |
74,510,241 |
99,437 |
0.133% |
0.681% |
| Eastern Europe |
212,821,296 |
977,173 |
0.459% |
6.695% |
| Western Europe |
375,832,557 |
1,224,176 |
0.326% |
8.387% |
| Total |
728,571,703 |
2,319,085 |
0.318% |
15.888% |
Jews in The Americas
| Region |
Total Population |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Jews total |
| Caribbean |
23,809,622 |
1,888 |
0.008% |
0.013% |
| Central America |
42,223,849 |
14,798 |
0.035% |
0.101% |
| North America |
446,088,748 |
6,362,943 |
1.426% |
43.594% |
| South America |
371,075,531 |
576,400 |
0.155% |
3.949% |
| Total |
883,197,750 |
6,956,029 |
0.788% |
47.657% |
Jews in Oceania
| Region |
Total Population |
Jews |
% Jewish |
% of Jews total |
| Oceania |
30,564,520 |
95,853 |
0.314% |
0.657% |
References
See also
External links
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