The population of Israel on the eve of its 62nd Independence Day is 7.577 million – 9.4 times higher than it was when independence was proclaimed, 62 years ago. The United States' population, by comparison, stands at 309 million, or only 2.1 times higher than it was in 1948.
Just over a fifth of the population is Arab, and just over three-quarters – 5.726 million – are Jewish.
Israel’s population grew by 1.8% over the past year – about double the rate of the United States.