A total of 2,960,000 children under the age of 18 resided in Israel at the end of 2018, comprising 33% of Israel’s population, according to report by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics published on Monday in time for Universal Children’s Day on November 20. 72% of Israel’s children are Jewish, 24% are Arabs and 3% are classified as “other” such as Christians or other religions.

The average number of children per household in Israel is 2.43. When broken down into cities, Beit Shemesh has the highest number of children per household with 3.67 and is followed by Bnei Brak – 3.5, and Yerushalayim – 2.9. Tel Aviv has the lowest number of children per household – 1.87.

The community with the highest percentage of children is Modi’in Illit – 63.9% of the residents are children, followed by Beitar Illit with 60.6% and Elad with 57.8%. Tel Aviv has the lowest percentage of children – 21.1%.

Households with only one child comprise 18% of households with children, meaning that the child is an only child with no siblings of any age living in the household. This status of “only child” households applied to 19% of Jewish households – of which 30% were homes of immigrants from the former Soviet Union – and 11% of Arab households.

A full 88% of households with children are two-parent households and 12% are single-parent households

The percentage of children in the Arab sector has been steadily declining since 2000, the report said. In 2005, children comprised 47% of the Arab sector, by 2010 the percentage had decreased to 44% and in 2018 – 39%.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)