The Central Bureau of Statistics reported this week that 16,577 new immigrants arrived in Eretz Yisrael in 2012, representing a 2% decline from 2011. The downward immigration trend began in 2002 and has continued each year since. An average of 18,000 immigrants arrived annually from 2003-2011.

This represents quite a change from 1990-2002, during which there was an average annual immigration of 84,000.

Since the establishment of the state in 1948, 3.2 million immigrants arrived, with 41% arriving since 1990.

In 2012, 7,234 of the new immigrants came from the FSU, representing 44% of the year’s total immigration. 2,432 immigrants arrived from Ethiopia, 2,290 from the USA, 2,048 from Ukraine, and 1,653 from France.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)