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Israel's Demographic Miracle: Mainstream, Educated, Middle-Class Israelis Are Having Children

(Mosaic) Ofir Haivry - Today, the Jewish birthrate in Israel outpaces that of Arabs both in Israel and in the West Bank, and even in most Arab and Muslim countries. Modern society is indeed characterized by a trend of declining fertility rates that is particularly marked in developed countries. In 2015, the average fertility rate of women in the 35-member OECD was at 1.68 children per woman over the length of her childbearing years - below the average "replacement rate" of 2.1. However, in the last generation, higher educational and income levels among Israeli Jews have correlated with a marked rise in fertility. In 2015, Israel's fertility rate in both Jewish and Arab sectors was 3.13. In 2000, Israeli Arab fertility was 4.5, while the Jewish rate was 2.6. Meanwhile, the Jewish rate continues to rise, with an estimate for 2017 of 3.16. Since the beginning of the 21st century, fertility has risen by 15-20% among most sectors of Israeli Jewish society. It is attributable to the combined decisions by millions of Jewish women and men of all Israeli social groups, variously described as traditionalist, non-religious, or even secular, who have chosen to have many more children. The writer, an Israeli historian and political theorist, is vice-president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem.
2018-05-11 00:00:00
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