Digital Library
2018 World Jewish Population
Topic:
Jewish Diaspora & Interfaith Relations
Principal Investigators:
Sergio DellaPergola
Study Date:
2018
Source:
American Jewish Year Book,Berman Jewish DataBank
Key Findings:
The Berman Jewish DataBank Current Jewish Population Report originates from the American Jewish Year Book article by Sergio DellaPergola, World Jewish Population 2018, regarding the worldwide study of Jewish demography.
In his article, Sergio DellaPergola defines four major concepts in order to study scientifically the demography of contemporary world Jewry, including the core Jewish population (CJP)—the group who consider Judaism their identity. DellaPergola's core Jewish population includes Jewish-only individuals: (a) those who define themselves as Jewish by religion and (b) those who define themselves as Jewish although not based on religion - but also do not have another religion with which they identify. The broadest of these conceptualizations of Jewish includes those eligible for Israel’s Law of Return.
At the beginning of 2018, DellaPergola estimates the world core Jewish population to be 14,606,000, which is an increase of 98,400 (0.68%) over the revised 2017 estimate of 14,507,600. Since the world's total population increased by 1.13% in 2017, DellaPergola notes that world Jewry continued to increase at a lower rate than the general world population (Jewish world population growth was approximately 60% of world population growth). Furthermore, World Jewry continued to increase exclusively due to the population increase in Israel (1.74%) overcoming actual decrease in the Diaspora (-0.17%).
DellaPergola estimates the core Jewish population for the United States in 2018 to be approximately 5,700,000, second to the revised Israel estimate of 6,558,400.
Methodology:
This summary article on World Jewish Population, 2018 is published as number 23, Current Jewish Population Reports series of the Berman Jewish DataBank at The Jewish Federations of North America. It derives from Chapter 8 of the American Jewish Year Book, 2018.
DellaPergola notes the challenges of data consistency, given the different legal systems and organizational provisions under which Jewish communities operate in different countries. In spite of diligent efforts to create a unified analytic framework for Jewish population studies, data users should be aware of these difficulties and of the inherent limitations of Jewish population estimates.