Experts warn Israel’s high birthrate hides significant socioeconomic challenges
Experts warn that rapid population growth in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities, coupled with low education levels and male employment rates, could cost the economy billions and threaten long-term security and social stability.
Israel, the developed nation with the world’s highest fertility rate—nearly three children per woman—faces a strategic challenge not just from population growth, but from unequal education and employment levels in its fastest-growing communities, News.Az reports citing the YNet.
While Israel’s overall fertility rate stood at 2.9 children per woman in 2023 — significantly higher than the OECD average of 1.5 — much of this growth occurs among groups with education levels comparable to those in developing countries. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where male employment rates are low and wages are significantly below average, exemplifies this challenge.
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