US/World News

Worldwide Jewish population nears pre-Holocaust numbers

(JTA) – The worldwide Jewish population is approaching the size it was before the Holocaust, a new report by an independent Jerusalem-based think tank says.

The report, compiled by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), indicates that there are 14.2 million Jews worldwide as of early 2015. Add in various “subgroups” (such as immigrants to Israel and American “partial Jews”) and the number approaches 16 million – which nears the pre-World War II global Jewish population of 16.6 million, Ynet reported on Friday, June 26.

After Israel, which is home to 6,103,200 Jews, the United States has the second-highest Jewish population at 5,700,000; third is France with 475,000 Jews.

The JPPI report says that the last decade (2005-2015) has seen an eight percent increase in the Jewish population, or the biggest increase since the end of World War II. According to Ynet, the JPPI based these numbers on “halacha criteria for those living in Israel and self-identification for those living outside of Israel.”

SHARE
RELATED POSTS
Watchdog: Accusing Soros of ‘secret plot’ to nix Brexit not antisemitic
BY THE NUMBERS
American-born Orthodox rabbi among the surprising faces of Israel’s future

Leave Your Reply