Settler population growing at three times the national rate

The Jewish population of the West Bank has grown three times as fast as the general Israeli population over the last decade, according to a 2007 statistical yearbook published by the Ariel University Center of Samaria in conjunction with the Samaria and Jordan Valley regional councils.

The study found that over the last 12 years, the settler population grew by 107 percent, from 130,000 in 1995 to 270,000 at the end of 2007. Over the same period, the general Israeli population grew by only 29 percent.

This trend was maintained over the last three years (2005-2007): The settler population grew by about 5 percent a year, three times the overall Israeli rate of 1.7 percent a year. No other region in Israel has experienced a similarly rapid growth rate.

However, settlers still accounted for only 3.8 percent of the total Israeli population at the end of 2007, and 4.9 percent of the Jewish population.

The lion's share of the settlements' growth stems from a high birthrate: In 2007, for instance, the settler population grew by about 14,500 people, of which births (minus deaths) accounted for almost 9,000. However, the net migration balance was also positive, with 4,700 more people moving to settlements in 2007 than leaving them. In contrast, migration was negative in five of Israel's other six regions: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, the north and the south.

Due to its high birthrate - 35 births per 1,000 people, which is double the rate in Tel Aviv and 75 percent higher than the Israeli average of 20 per 1,000 - the Jewish population in the West Bank is significantly younger than the Israeli norm. The average age is 20.6, compared to 28.7 for Israel as a whole, and senior citizens comprise only 2.9 percent of the population, compared to 10 percent for Israel as a whole. In addition, households are larger, averaging 4.1 people, compared to 3.3 in Israel overall.

Fully 82.6 percent of settlers are "sabras" (native Israelis), compared to 69.5 percent of all Israelis. In addition, 30.7 percent of settlers are ultra-Orthodox, compared to 7.5 percent of the general population, giving the West Bank has a higher proportion of ultra-Orthodox Jews than any other region in Israel.

Despite this, 62 percent of settlers participate in the labor force, compared to only 56 percent of all Israelis. Unemployment, at 6.5 percent, is lower than the national average of 7.3 percent, and average family income, at NIS 13,566 a month in 2006, is about 10 percent higher than the national average. However, because families are larger, per capita income in the settlements is 13 percent lower than the national average.

The West Bank has the highest pass rate on bagrut (matriculation) exams of any region in Israel, at 71.2 percent. The national average is 65.8 percent.

However, it also has an exceptionally high crime rate - 22 percent above the national average - though the rate did drop 8.7 percent from 2005 to 2006 (the last year for which data is available).

An attitudinal survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2006 showed that settlers also have an upbeat view of life: Some 92.3 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their lives, compared to 83 percent of Israelis overall. In addition, 91 percent reported themselves in good health, compared to 73 percent of Israelis overall.