Druze population in Israel has grown tenfold since 1948

The Druze, a religious minority in Israel, are known for their military courage and dedication to the State of Israel.

By TPS

The Druze population in Israel was approximately 149,000 at the end of 2021, more than a tenfold increase since the founding of the State of Israel, 14,500 in 1949, according to a report published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics on the occasion of the Nabi Shu’ayb Festival.

The Druze population has grown over the years mainly due to natural increase and the annexation of the Golan Heights in 1981. The Druze community comprises 1.6% of Israel’s total population and 7.5% of Israel’s Arab population.

The Druze, a religious minority in Israel, are known for their military courage and dedication to the State of Israel. About 85% of Israel’s male Druze population joins the Israeli military, and many continue their service beyond their release dates.

The Druze religion is rooted in Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. Communities are mostly found in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

At the end of 2020, children aged 0 to 14 comprised approximately one-quarter, 24.7%, of the Druze population. In comparison, children make up 27.6% of the Jewish population, approximately one-third, 33.0%, of the Muslim population, and approximately one-fifth, 21.1%, of the Christian population.

The total fertility rate of Druze women in 2020 was 1.94 children on average, as compared with 2.02 in the previous year. The total fertility rate among Druze women has been declining since the mid-1960s. The peak in fertility – 7.92 children per woman – was measured in 1964.

In 2021, approximately 38,000 households – approximately 1.4% of the total number of households in Israel – were headed by a Druze, similar to the previous year.

Of them, 76.8% of households contained employed persons – a number higher than that of the Muslims, 71.0%, but lower than that of the Christians with 77.5%.

Of the Druze, 38.6% went on to study for a first degree within eight years of graduating high school, compared with 34.0% among students in Arab education.

In the 2020/21 academic year, 5,780 Druze students attended all the institutions of higher education in Israel. Their number rose by 5.1% as compared with the previous year. From a multi-year perspective, the number of Druze students increased by a factor of 3.6 in 20 years.

In the 2021/22 school year, 3,574 Druze were employed as teaching staff in the education system, as compared with 3,558 in the 2020/21 school year, an increase of 0.45%.

During the 2021/22 academic year, there were 175 Druze academic teaching staff members at institutions of higher education, compared to 156 during the 2020/21 academic year – an increase of 12.0%.

Of the total number of Druze students in the 2020/21 academic year, 73.1% were studying for their first degree; 20.6% were studying for their second degree; 1.5% were studying for their third degree.