More than one million people live in Jerusalem, more than double the number living in Tel Aviv, according to an annual report released on Sunday, ahead of Jerusalem Day.
The report, compiled by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, found that Jerusalem’s population of 1,005,900 is double that of Tel Aviv’s, according to figures from Israel’s 2022 census. Since October 7, 13,800 evacuees from the Gaza border area or near the Lebanese border have stayed in Jerusalem for at least some time.
The report noted that Jerusalem had the highest number of students enrolled in institutions of higher learning, with 41,300 during the 2022-2023 academic year.
It also cited a surge in jobseekers, with 26,000 people seeking employment in November 2023. The report also noted a rise in Arab women in the workforce, reaching 29% participation.
Construction of 5,800 apartments began in Jerusalem in 2023, the largest one-year amount recorded in the 38 years the institute began issuing the reports.
More than 7,600 new immigrants opted to initially settle in Jerusalem in 2022, but that was offset by 7,200 people leaving Jerusalem.
There were more than 2,735,000 foreign overnight stays in 2023. However, the last quarter of the year, coinciding with the war, saw an 80 per cent drop in that figure.
Jerusalem Day, which begins on Tuesday night, marks the anniversary of the city’s reunification during the Six-Day War of 1967.