Demographics
Beitar Illit is one of the largest and most rapidly growing settlements, with a higher birthrate than any other habitation in the West Bank or Israel.
At the end of 2003 the population of Beitar Illit was 23,000 and in 2006 it was 29,100. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior the population in January 2007 was estimated to be 35,000, an increase of 20% over one year. The town is reported to have almost 20,000 schoolchildren. According to local authorities the population may reach 100,000 by 2020, based on population growth and the building of new apartments to attract more Haredim from older Haredi cities such as Bnei Brak and parts of Jerusalem.
To support the growing population in Beitar Illit, the Ministry of Construction and Housing announced in 2011 that it would issue tenders for 642 new housing units in the settlement. These 642 tenders were part of the 1,577 tenders planned in 2011 by the Israeli government, a number that was higher than in any year since Ariel Sharon's government issued 1,917 in 2003.
In 2010 it was reported that 64.3% of working age men and 45.8% of working age women in Beitar Illit did not work.
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