The Jewish state has the highest birthrate in the Western world, with an average of 3.11 children per family, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday.
By: Benjamin Kerstein, The Algemeiner
According to the Hebrew news site Ynet, Israel’s birthrate is substantially higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average, which stands at 2.1 children per family. This is below replacement rate.
Israel’s birthrate is substantially above the closest runners-up, Turkey and Mexico, which average slightly over two children per family.
The towns with the highest birthrates included Modi’in Ilit (7.59), Beitar Ilit (7.20), and B’nei Brak (5.79).
According to Ynet, “The towns with the highest fertility rate were Haredi towns and Bedouin towns in the south. The towns with the lowest fertility rate were majority Druze or towns connected to populations with high socio-economic status and towns with a high percentage of new immigrants.”
The study also noted that the Jewish birthrate has been consistently rising since 2006, while it has been dropping among Muslims, Christians, and other religious groups.
Broken down by religion, the study showed 73.9% of children were born to Jewish women, 20.7% to Muslims, 1.4% to Christians, 1.3% to Druze, and 2.6% to other religions.