Jerusalem is Israel's capital and largest city. On the occasion of Jerusalem Day, Jerusalem had approximately 957,600 residents.
During 2020, the population of Jerusalem increased by 15,500 residents. Approximately 20,400 persons were added to the population as a result of natural increase, 3,100 persons were added as a result of the international migration balance, and 8,000 persons were subtracted due to a negative internal migration balance (the number of persons leaving Jerusalem was higher than the number of persons moving to Jerusalem).
The principal localities from which there was migration to Jerusalem were Bet Shemesh, Bene Beraq and Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Bet Shemesh, Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Betar Illit were the principal localities to which persons moved when they left Jerusalem.
The percentage of ultra-Orthodox among the Jerusalem population at the end of 2020 was 29.6%.
Among Jews aged 20 and over in Jerusalem (2019): 35.2% define themselves as ultra-Orthodox; 20.1% – religious; 10.8% – traditional-religious; 13.7% – traditional not so religious; 19.6% – secular.
The total fertility rate (average expected number of births per woman in her lifetime) of women in Jerusalem was approximately 3.88 children per woman. This rate was higher than the national average (3.01).
A Jerusalem household numbered on the average 3.78 persons, compared with the national average of 3.25 persons.
The percentage of participation in the labour force in Jerusalem in 2020 was 49.7%, whereas the national average was 61.8%.
88.4% of employed person who were Jerusalem residents worked in their place of residence.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of Jerusalem residents aged 20 and over have lived in the city since their birth, compared with 32% on the national average.
In the school year of 2019/20, there were 81,964 students in the primary schools in Jerusalem (Hebrew education), of those, approximately 54,500 were under ultra-Orthodox supervision, approximately 14,500 were under State-Religious supervision, and approximately 13,000 were in the State education system.
The dropout rate of students who live in Jerusalem and attend grades 7-12 in the schools supervised by the Ministry of Education is higher than the national dropout rate (6.0% versus 2.3%, respectively).
In 2018/19, the percentage of matriculation examinees among 12th grade pupils in Hebrew education who lived in Jerusalem was lower than the percentage among all 12th grade pupils in Hebrew education in Israel (59%, compared with 84%, respectively).
In 2019, approximately 112,500 Jerusalem residents were registered at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services. The rate of persons registered among Jerusalem residents was 120.1 per 1,000 persons, and it was similar to the rate among the general population of Israel (124.0 per 1,000 persons).
The number of persons judged in criminal trials in 2018 who were Jerusalem residents was approximately 2,600. Of them, 2,200 persons were convicted (85.9%). The rate of persons convicted among Jerusalem residents aged 12 or over was 3.2 per 1,000 persons (similar to the rate among residents of Israel – 3.1 per 1,000 persons).
Of Jerusalem residents aged 20 and over, 90.0% felt a sense of personal security to a great or very great extent. This percentage was a little lower than the nationwide percentage (91.5%).
In 2020, construction began on approximately 2,460 dwellings in Jerusalem, a decrease of 19.8% compared to 2019. For the sake of comparison, there was a nationwide decrease of 3.5%.
In 2020, the Israel Police investigated 835 road accidents with casualties (of the Expanded R.A. type) that occurred in Jerusalem, in which 1,236 people were injured (a decrease of approximately 19.2% in the number of accidents and approximately 21.8% in the number of casualties, compared with 2019 (in the entire country during that period there was a decrease of 14.5% in the number accidents and a decrease of 20.7% in the number of casualties).
