Itongadol.- As Israelis prepare to ring in the Jewish New Year, the Population and Immigration Authority released a report on Sunday estimating Israel\’s population at 8,904,373.
This marks an increase of 173,811 in the total population, from 8,730,562 citizens registered with the Interior Ministry last year.
The number of new Olim to Israel the past year stands at 24,801.
During the past year, some 176,230 babies were born, of which 90,646 were boys and 85,584 were girls.
The most popular name for a girl this past year was Tamar, followed by classic Israeli names such as Noa and Shira. Also among the most popular names, Adelle, Talia, Yael, Leean, Miriam, Maya and Abigail all made the top 10 list.
For boys, the most popular name of the year was Joseph, followed by Daniel, and Ori. Also making the list of the top 10 most popular names was Itay, Omer, Adam, Noam, Ariel, Eitan and David.
This past year also saw 140,591 people getting married, of which 75,848 were Israelis. In contrast, the past year saw 32,457 people get divorced, of which 23,419 were Israelis.
Speaking at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu posed the population numbers as a triumph over the Holocaust and other tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people. "I can say that there are more than six million Jews in Israel, in light of the course our people has taken in the last century."
The prime minister said that Israel "is not short of challenges, but our strength is unifying the nation and repelling our enemies."
Netanyahu wished the nation a happy holiday and wished a speedy recovery to those still recovering from injuries sustained during the recent fighting on the Gaza front.