Beit Shemesh - Demographics

Demographics

In 1952, new immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Romania, Morocco and Iraqi Kurdistan settled in Beit Shemesh. In the 1990s, the city saw a large influx of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and English-speaking countries. In recent years, there has been an important increase in the number of English-speaking Israelis who have moved to Beit Shemesh. Considerable numbers have come from North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. This population tends to be Orthodox, educated and from middle income groups.

In 2003 the ethnic makeup of the city was 100.0% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. See Population groups in Israel. In 2005, there were 32,900 males and 33,000 females. The population growth rate in 2005 was 6.4%.

According to a city councillor, there were no Haredim in Bet Shemesh before the 1990s. Since then, Beit Shemesh has become increasingly religious, with a large Haredi sector. Many synagogues and yeshivas have been built in the community. Religious communities represented in Beit Shemesh include Ger, Belz, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, Satmar and Neturei Karta. In 2011 Haredim made up 40% of the population, of which an estimated 50 or 60 families with great influence are militant. According to statistics published by the municipality, 63% of the city's schoolchildren in 2010 were Haredim. 75% of the children entering the first grade in the 2012/2013 academic year will be registered in official Haredi institutions.

The population of Beit Shemesh is expected to reach 150,000 in 2020.