153,700 in East Jerusalem (August 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 793,712; female 756,735)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,670,082; female 1,669,481)
65 years and over: 9% (male 230,082; female 301,903) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.11% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 20.31 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.26 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.99 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.01 years
male: 76.16 years
female: 79.96 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli

Ethnic divisions: Jewish 82% (Israel-born 50%,
Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 20%, Africa-born 7%, Asia-born 5%),
non-Jewish 18% (mostly Arab) (1993 est.)

Religions: Judaism 82%, Islam 14% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian
2%, Druze and other 2%

Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab
minority, English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1992 est.)
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93%

Government
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Name of country:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el

Data code: IS

Type of government: republic

Capital: Jerusalem
note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the
US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel
Aviv

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz);
Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May 1948 (Israel declared
independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and
the holiday may occur in April or May)

Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citi