Global Jewish Population Reaches 15.8 Million, Nearly Half in Israel

The global Jewish population stands at 15.8 million as of Monday, April 13, 2026, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, which released its annual report ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The figure still remains below the 16.6 million recorded in 1939, on the eve of World War II, even as Israel now accounts for 7.2 million Jews, about 45% of world Jewry.

The data highlights that the global Jewish population is still roughly 800,000 short of its pre-Holocaust level, more than eight decades later. At the same time, the geographic center of Jewish life has shifted dramatically, from just 3% living in Israel in 1939 to nearly half today. Approximately 85% of Jews worldwide now live in either Israel or the United States. Alongside these long-term demographic changes, the number of Holocaust survivors living in Israel continues to decline.

About 6.3 million Jews, roughly 40% of the global total, live in the United States, making it the second-largest Jewish population after Israel. Other significant Jewish communities are located in France (around 440,000), Canada (about 400,000), the United Kingdom (approximately 300,000), Argentina (around 180,000), Germany (about 120,000), Russia (roughly 120,000), and Australia (around 120,000), according to the report.

Historical comparisons underscore both the scale of the loss and the shift in population centers. In 1939, there were 16.6 million Jews worldwide, with only 449,000, about 3%, living in pre-state Israel. By 1948, on the eve of Israel’s establishment, the global Jewish population had dropped to 11.5 million, while the Jewish population in Israel had risen to 650,000, or 6%.

The report also found that approximately 111,000 Holocaust survivors and individuals recognized as victims of antisemitic persecution during the Holocaust are currently living in Israel. Of these, 63% are women and 37% are men, with the majority having immigrated to Israel after the establishment of the state in multiple waves over the decades.

The number of survivors has declined sharply in recent years, falling from about 165,000 in 2021 to roughly 111,000 today, as the remaining members of that generation age. “Even in these days, as the generation of Holocaust survivors steadily diminishes, the State of Israel continues to be their home — not only physically, but also in value and national meaning,” said Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer.