Demographics of Jerusalem
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Founded around 3000 BCE, the Old City of Jerusalem is divided into Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian quarters. At the time of Jesus, the city had an estimated population of 80,000 (Time Magazine). In 2003, the population of the Old City was 31,405 Arabs and 3,965 "Jews and others" (Choshen 12). That same year the total population of Jerusalem was 693,217 including 464,527 "Jews and others" and 228,690 Arabs (Choshen 1).
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[edit] Overview
Jerusalemites are of varied national, ethnic and religious denominations and include European Jews, Middle Eastern Jews, African Jews, Christian and Muslim Armenians, Muslim Arabs, Protestant Arabs, Greek Orthodox Arabs, Syrian Orthodox Arabs, and Coptic Orthodox Arabs, among others.[1] Many of these groups were once immigrants or pilgrims that have over time become near-indigenous populations and claim the importance of Jerusalem to their faith as their reason for moving to and being in the city.[1]
Jerusalem's long history of conquests by competing and different powers has resulted in different groups living in the city many of whom have never fully identified or assimilated with a particular power, despite the length of their rule. Though they may have been citizens of that particular kingdom and empire and involved with civic activities and duties, these groups often saw themselves as distinct national groups (see for example, the Armenians).[1] The Ottoman millet system, whereby minorities in the Ottoman Empire were given the authority to govern themselves within the framework of the broader system, allowed these groups to retain autonomy and remain separate from other religious and national groups.
[edit] Population by ethnicity
The table below provides data on demographic change over time in Jerusalem, with an emphasis on the Jewish population. Readers should be aware that the boundaries of Jerusalem have changed many times over the years and that Jerusalem may also refer to a district or even a sub-district under Ottoman, British, or Israeli administration, see e.g. Jerusalem District. Thus, year-to-year comparisons may not be valid due to the varying geographic areas covered by the population censuses.
| Year | Jews | Muslims | Christians | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1471 | 250* | ? | ? | ? | Baron |
| 1488 | 76* | ? | ? | ? | Baron |
| 1489 | 200* | ? | ? | ? | Yaari, 1943[2] |
| 1525 | 199* | 616* | 119* | ? | Baron |
| 1539 | 1,630** | ? | ? | ? | The Tahrir[3] |
| 1553 | 1,958** | 11,750 | 358** | ? | Masters, 2004 |
| 1556 | 2,350** | ? | ? | ? | The Tahrir[4] |
| 1563 | 1,720** | ? | ? | ? | The Tahrir[5] |
| 1568 | 1,160** | ? | ? | ? | Ottoman survey[6] |
| 1597 | 11* | ? | ? | ? | The Tahrir[7] |
| 1640 | 4,000 | ? | ? | ? | Roger[8] |
| 1723 | 2,000 | ? | ? | ? | Van Egmont & Heyman[9] |
| 1844 | 7,120 | 5,000 | 3,390 | 15,510 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1850 | 13,800 | ? | ? | ? | Anglo-Jewish Association Census |
| 1869 | *3,200 | ? | ? | ? | H. J. Sneersohn[10] |
| 1876 | 12,000 | 7,560 | 5,470 | 25,030 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1896 | 28,110 | 8,560 | 8,750 | 45,420 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1922 | 33,971 | 13,413 | 14,669 | 62,578 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1931 | 51,200 | 19,900 | 19,300 | 90,053 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1944 | 97,000 | 30,600 | 29,400 | 157,000 | ? |
| 1947 | 100,000 | ? | ? | 205,000 | United Nations (1983) includes Bethlehem and surrounding Arab villages |
| 1948 | 100,000 | 40,000 | 25,000 | 165,000 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1967 | 195,700 | 54,963 | 12,646 | 263,307 | Harrel, 1974 |
| 1980 | 292,300 | ? | ? | 407,100 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 1985 | 327,700 | ? | ? | 457,700 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 1987 | 340,000 | 121,000 | 14,000 | 475,000 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 1990 | 378,200 | 131,800 | 14,400 | 524,400 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 1995 | 417,100 | 182,700 | 14,100 | 617,000 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 1996 | 421,200 | ? | ? | 602,100 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 2000 | 448,800 | ? | ? | 657,500 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 2004 | 464,500 | ? | ? | 693,200 | Jerusalem Municipality |
| 2005 | 469,300 | ? | ? | 706,400 | Jerusalem Municipality |
* Indicates families. ** Indicates adult males.
As of May 24, 2006, Jerusalem's population is 724,000 (about 10% of the total population of Israel), of which 65.0% were Jews (approx. 40% of whom live in East Jerusalem), 32.0% Muslim (almost all of whom live in East Jerusalem) and 2% Christian. 35% of the city's population were children under age of 15. In 2005, the city had 18,600 newborns. (Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics)
It should be noted that these official Israeli statistics refer to the expanded Israel municipality of Jerusalem. This includes not only the area of the pre-1967 Israeli and Jordanian municipalities, but also outlying Palestinian villages and neighbourhoods east of the city, which were not part of Jordanian East Jerusalem prior to 1967.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Preserving Identity in the Holy City
- ^ Avraham Yaari, Igrot Eretz Yisrael, p. 98.(Tel Aviv, 1943)
- ^ The Turkish tax register, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ The Turkish tax register, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ The Turkish tax register, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ The Turkish tax register, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ French traveler, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ Christian travelers Johann Aegidius Van Egmont and John Heyman, Jewish history timeline; Turkish/Ottoman Rule, 1517—1917
- ^ New York Times, February 19, 1869; See also I. Harold Scharfman, The First Rabbi, Pangloss Press, 1988, page 524 which reports the figure as 3,100.
[edit] Sources
- Salo Baron, A Social and Religious History of the Jews, Columbia University Press, 1983.
- Maya Choshen, ed. (2004). Table III/14 - Population of Jerusalem, by Age, Quarter, Sub-Quarter, and Statistical Area, 2003 (pdf). Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem. Retrieved on February 27, 2006.
- Manashe Harrel, "The Jewish Presence in Jerusalem through the Ages" in Sinai and Oestericcher, eds., Jerusalem, John Day, 1974. The Harrel numbers are also used in Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, Alpha, 2002.
- Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics information page
- Jerusalem: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Population (1910-2000) at israelipalestinianprocon.org
- Bruce Masters, Christians And Jews In The Ottoman Arab World Cambridge University Press, 2004.
- Population of Jerusalem until 1945 (Table 10) at mideastweb.org
- United Nations (1983). International Conference on the Question of Palestine—The Status of Jerusalem. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine. Retrieved on February 26, 2006.
- Time Magazine (2001). Jerusalem. Retrieved on March 25, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (2002). Jerusalem: Special Bulletin (pdf). Retrieved on February 27, 2006.
- United Nations (1997). The Status of Jerusalem. UNISPAL. Division for Palestinian Rights. Prepared for, and under the guidance of, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Retrieved on February 26, 2006.
