Internal Migration in Israel

Abstract

With a population of 8.8 million, Israel is a small country situated in Western Asia. Jews form the majority of the population, however, there are significant Muslim, Christian and Druze minorities. Israel is well served by information on internal migration, with data collected by population register, census and surveys. Annual register data suggest that the Israeli population is relatively mobile by Asian standards, with an ACMI averaging around 7% per annum in the thirty years to 2015. There are, however, significant differences between Jews and non-Jews, with the latter less mobile than the former. Compared with other Asian countries, migration peaks at slightly older ages, reflecting late departures from the parental home. With more than 90% of its population resident in cities, Israel is at a late stage in the urban transition. As a consequence, there are significant urban-to-urban and counter-urban flows. Overall, however, mobility is relatively well balanced across the settlement system. These low levels of migration effectiveness offset moderate intensities, limiting population redistribution between sub-districts to less than 0.2% annually. Despite its low impact, differences in the intensity and spatial patterns of mobility across religious and ethnic groups have led to both segregation and assimilation in the population, with important policy implications.