The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria grew by almost 15,000 people last year, according to an annual report compiled by former Israeli lawmaker Ya’akov Katz and based on Interior Ministry data.
As of Jan. 1, 517,407 Jews lived in the area, which Israel liberated during the 1967 Six-Day War, up from 502,991 on the same date in 2023.
Katz’s figure does not include the nearly 350,000 Jews living in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim despite it being part of the Jewish state’s capital.
Last year’s growth amounts to a 2.87% increase, the report said. Israel’s total population grew by 1.9% in 2023, per the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The 500,000-plus Jews living in Judea and Samaria account for an estimated 3.3% of the Jews in the world.
The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria has grown 15.11% since 2019, when 449,508 Jews lived in the area, according to the report.
Some of the fastest-growing towns include Mevo Dotan in northern Samaria, Ma’aleh Amos and Nokdim in eastern Gush Etzion, and the Jordan Valley farming communities of Masua and Na’ama.
The report projects the Jewish population in the area to reach 613,554 by 2030, 706,233 by 2035 and 1,020,506 by 2047.
Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, the Hatzalah Judea and Samaria rescue group recorded more than 2,600 terrorist attacks against Israelis in the area, including 760 cases of rock-throwing, 551 fire bombings, 12 attempted or successful stabbings and nine vehicular assaults.