The two countries with the greatest shares of the world's Jewish population are the United States and Israel. The United States had been a hub of Jewish immigration since the nineteenth century, as Jewish people sought to escape persecution in Europe by emigrating across the Atlantic. The Jewish population in the U.S. is largely congregated in major urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with the New York metropolitan area being the city with the second largest Jewish population worldwide, after Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel is the world's only officially Jewish state, having been founded in 1948 following the first Arab-Israeli War. While Jews had been emigrating to the holy lands since the nineteenth century, when they were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, immigration increased rapidly following the establishment of the state of Israel. Jewish communities in Eastern Europe who had survived the Holocaust saw Israel as a haven from persecution, while the state encouraged immigration from Jewish communities in other regions, notably the Middle East & North Africa. Smaller Jewish communities remain in Europe in countries such as France, the UK, and Germany, and in other countries which were hotspots for Jewish migration in the twentieth century, such as Canada and Argentina.

The world's Jewish population has had a complex and tumultuous history over the past millennia, regularly dealing with persecution, pogroms, and even genocide. The legacy of expulsion and persecution of Jews, including bans on land ownership, meant that Jewish communities disproportionately lived in urban areas, working as artisans or traders, and often lived in their own settlements separate to the rest of the urban population. This separation contributed to the impression that events such as pandemics, famines, or economic shocks did not affect Jews as much as other populations, and such factors came to form the basis of the mistrust and stereotypes of wealth (characterized as greed) that have made up anti-Semitic rhetoric for centuries. Development since the Middle Ages The concentration of Jewish populations across the world has shifted across different centuries. In the Middle Ages, the largest Jewish populations were found in Palestine and the wider Levant region, with other sizeable populations in present-day France, Italy, and Spain. Later, however, the Jewish disapora became increasingly concentrated in Eastern Europe after waves of pogroms in the west saw Jewish communities move eastward. Poland in particular was often considered a refuge for Jews from the late-Middle Ages until the 18th century, when it was then partitioned between Austria, Prussia, and Russia, and persecution increased. Push factors such as major pogroms in the Russian Empire in the 19th century and growing oppression in the west during the interwar period then saw many Jews migrate to the United States in search of opportunity.

In 2023, the population of Jewish people in Israel was estimated at **** million. This marked an increase of about *** percent compared to the previous year. Over the period observed, the Jewish population in the country experienced a steady growth.

During the Holocaust, approximately six million Jews were killed. In France, the Jewish population had decreased by ******* individuals between 1939 and 1945. It then increased between the end of World War II and the 1970s, reaching ******* individuals in 1970. However, according to the source, the number of Jews in France has declined by more than 15 percent between that period and 2020, and is now estimated to be *******.

Israel Population: 2022 Census: excl Foreign Workers: Avg: Jews and Others: ow Jews data was reported at 7,246.900 Person th in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 7,240.900 Person th for Feb 2025. Israel Population: 2022 Census: excl Foreign Workers: Avg: Jews and Others: ow Jews data is updated monthly, averaging 7,159.600 Person th from Jan 2023 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,246.900 Person th in Mar 2025 and a record low of 7,055.500 Person th in Jan 2023. Israel Population: 2022 Census: excl Foreign Workers: Avg: Jews and Others: ow Jews data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.G001: Population.

Israel's population is aging steadily, with the median age projected to rise from ** years in 2020 to ** years by 2050. This demographic shift reflects global trends of increasing life expectancy and declining birth rates, though Israel maintained a relatively young population compared to many developed nations. The country's unique religious and cultural makeup contributed to regional variations in age distribution, presenting both opportunities and challenges for policymakers. Which region has the oldest population? As of 2023, over a ******* of Israelis were under the age of 14 years. The largest age group in the country being ************** and below. Interestingly, significant regional differences existed within the country when it came to age distribution and aging. While the median age in the Jerusalem district was below **, Tel Aviv was the oldest region with an average age of over ** years, highlighting significant demographic variations across different areas. How does religion influence demographics? Religious affiliation played a role in Israel's age structure and demographics. Muslims are the youngest religious group with a median age of ** years, while Christians of Arab ethnicity are the oldest, at ** years. Jews, the largest religious-ethnic group, had a median age of almost ** years, but within the Jewish demographic, age and fertility varied greatly between people based on religiosity. These differences play a significant role in the country's population and future growth patterns.

Population: Female: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 77,449.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 78,264.000 Person for 2022. Population: Female: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated yearly, averaging 93,723.000 Person from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 112,222.000 Person in 1991 and a record low of 77,449.000 Person in 2023. Population: Female: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GA010: Population: Female: by Region.

Population: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 144,389.000 Person in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 145,802.000 Person for 2023. Population: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated yearly, averaging 179,058.000 Person from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2024, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 220,231.000 Person in 1991 and a record low of 144,389.000 Person in 2024. Population: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.GA002: Population: by Region.

In 2023, the Jewish population had the highest total fertility rate in Israel, at an average of * births per woman. Muslim women, on the other hand, had a rate of **** children. The Druze and Christian religious communities had a total fertility rate of **** and ****, respectively.

The number of households registered as Jewish in Israel reached roughly **** million in 2023. In the same year, ******* households were registered as Arab, while ****** households were registered as belonging to population groups of other religions.

The YidTakNL corpus comprises Yiddish regulations and announcements by Amsterdam's Ashkenazi Jewish community between 1708 and 1846. All items are related to social, political and administrative aspects of community life. The YidTakNL corpus was produced as part of an ongoing PhD dissertation in Erasmus University Rotterdam (2021-2026) by Ronny Reshef. The bibliography in the Excel-sheet "Zenodo statutes for YidTakNL" is based on Mirjam Gutschow's extensive bibliography, Inventory of Yiddish publications from the Netherlands: c. 1650 - c. 1950 (Leiden: Brill, 2007). However, it only focuses on regulations written and published by community leaders or charitable organisations for the benefit of the community. Gutschow's bibliography was rechecked, corrected, and four items were added, resulting in 64 sources. Most of the listed items are fully available online (reference is provided).Texts from the corpus were used to train a Transkribus PyLaia HTR model. This model is dedicated to Yiddish texts printed in the Vaybertaytsh typeface, as printed in Amsterdam in the 18th century. This YidTakNL.1 Transkribus PyLaia HTR model enables researchers to decipher and read the well-known Yiddish Vaybertaytsh typeface. This Ashkenazi semi-cursive typeface (also known as Tkhine-ksav, Tsene-(u)rene-ksav, mashket/mesheyt, taytsh, vayberksav, ivre-taytsh and kleyn-taytsh), was broadly used for printing Yiddish documents between the 16th and the beginning of the 19th century across Europe and the Yiddish speaking world. As a base model, The Dybbuk for Yiddish Handwriting was used. The latest version of YidTakNL.1 is based on a training set size of 26331, and the CER is 0.10%. The model was based on ground-truth only [10% of the validation data], and will be made public during 2023.Two preliminary editions of Yiddish takones (takanot) are also already published here: Takanot 1711 - YidTakNL and Takanot 1737 - YidTakNL. These will be turned into full editions, other texts will follow. The texts for these editions were rendered using Transkribus, applying the Yiddish-Amsterdam-Baseline model for layout & TakYidNL model for text recognition.

For additional information, see:

Reshef, R., & Gutschow, M. (2024). Text Recognition Model for Yiddish in Vaybertaytsh Typeface, Based on Community Regulations. Journal of Open Humanities Data, 10(1), 35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.194

Reshef, R., & Gutschow, M. (2023). YidTakNL Corpus: 18th– 19th Centuries Regulations of the High German Jewish Community in Holland. Journal of Open Humanities Data, 9: 29, pp. 1–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/johd.161

For the complete dataset, with transcriptions and images of the texts used for training the Vaybertaytsh model on Transkribus, see: doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25422844.

Economically Active Population: Period Avg: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 76.147 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 72.710 Person th for 2023. Economically Active Population: Period Avg: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated yearly, averaging 88.131 Person th from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2024, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 115.600 Person th in 1992 and a record low of 72.710 Person th in 2023. Economically Active Population: Period Avg: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.GB003: Economically Active Population: by Region: Annual.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan Inc.

Population: Rural: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 41,954.000 Person in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 42,507.000 Person for 2023. Population: Rural: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated yearly, averaging 58,664.000 Person from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2024, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77,730.000 Person in 1991 and a record low of 41,954.000 Person in 2024. Population: Rural: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.GA012: Population: Rural: by Region.

Population: Internet Use: Orders of Goods & Services: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 64.700 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 43.400 % for 2023. Population: Internet Use: Orders of Goods & Services: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated yearly, averaging 24.200 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2024, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 64.700 % in 2024 and a record low of 11.700 % in 2014. Population: Internet Use: Orders of Goods & Services: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Transport and Telecommunications Sector – Table RU.TH003: Population: by Internet Use for Orders of Goods and Services: by Region.

At the end of 2023, the population of Israel reached almost 9.7 million permanent residents. Jewish residents formed the largest religious group, with just over 7.15 million people. The Muslim population in the country, formed the largest religious minority at over 1.7 million individuals. Conversely, the smallest religious group was that of the Druze with about 151,000 people.

Population with Income per Capita below Living Cost: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region在2024达13.700%，相较于2023的17.100%有所下降。Population with Income per Capita below Living Cost: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region数据按每年更新，2000至2024期间平均值为23.200%，共25份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于2000，达57.300%，而历史最低值则出现于2024，为13.700%。CEIC提供的Population with Income per Capita below Living Cost: % of Total: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于Federal State Statistics Service，数据归类于Russia Premium Database的Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GA015: Population with Income per Capita below Living Cost。

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Kosher Foods Market Size 2025-2029

The kosher foods market size is forecast to increase by USD 16.5 billion, at a CAGR of 7.2% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth due to several key factors. The rise in Jewish and Muslim populations worldwide is driving demand for kosher-certified food products. Additionally, the increasing popularity of private labels and ethical labels is attracting consumers seeking transparency and authenticity. Meat substitutes, such as tofu and meat alternatives, are gaining traction as consumers look for more sustainable and ethical food options. Seafood, another major category in the market, is benefiting from the growing trend of consumers preferring healthier food choices. Furthermore, the demand for gluten-free food and energy drinks with kosher certification is on the rise. Intense competition from halal foods, however, poses a challenge to the market growth. Overall, the market is expected to witness steady growth in the coming years, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and consumer preferences.

What will be the Size of the Kosher Foods Market During the Forecast Period?

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The market encompasses a diverse range of food products adhering to Jewish dietary regulations. This market caters to consumers seeking healthier options, with a growing emphasis on allergen-free food and ethical sourcing. The demand for vegan kosher foods is also on the rise, aligning with broader trends in plant-based diets. Kosher foods are produced under strict supervision, ensuring the separation of milk and animal products. Hypermarkets, grocery stores, online platforms, and specialty stores serve as key distribution channels for this market. Major product categories include seafood, meat, dairy products, beverages, dietary supplements, and a wide array of packaged goods such as pasta, bread, cereals, juices, frozen meals, and packaged snacks. Buckwheat and other alternative grains have gained popularity due to their inclusion in kosher diets. Overall, the market exhibits strong growth, driven by increasing consumer awareness and adherence to dietary preferences and ethical considerations.

How is this Kosher Foods Industry segmented and which is the largest segment?

The kosher foods industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Product

  Kosher pareve
  Kosher meat
  Kosher dairy


Distribution Channel

  Supermarkets and hypermarkets
  Grocery stores
  Online stores


End-user

  Household consumers
  Food service industry
  Food processing industry


Geography

  North America

    Canada
    US


  Europe

    Germany
    UK
    France
    Italy


  Middle East and Africa



  South America

    Brazil


  APAC

By Product Insights

The kosher pareve segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

The kosher pareve market encompasses a range of food products that adhere to Jewish dietary regulations, excluding meat and dairy. These neutral foods, which can be consumed with meat and dairy, include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, tofu, plant proteins, confectionery products, beverages, and dietary supplements. Strict adherence to kosher standards mandates careful inspection of fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts for bugs, insects, or larvae. Eggs, too, must be free of blood spots to be considered kosher. Pareve products cater to various consumer groups, such as health-conscious individuals, vegetarians, and those with celiac disorders or lactose intolerance. This segment also includes snacks, savory dishes, bakery items, and culinary products. The pareve market serves both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, with offerings available at grocery stores, hypermarkets, and online platforms. Examples of pareve foods are buckwheat, seafood, lamb, pulses, juices, frozen meals, packaged snacks, and baked goods.

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The kosher pareve segment was valued at USD 13.80 billion in 2019 and showed a gradual increase during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

North America is estimated to contribute 39% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

Technavio's analysts have elaborately explained the regional trends and drivers that shape the market during the forecast period.

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The North American market holds the largest share in the global consumption of kosher foods, with the US and Canada being the key contributors. While the Jewish community is the primary consumer base, the Muslim population in the US also favors ko

A survey on crime and personal security 2023, two-thirds of the Jewish population reflected little or no fear of being victims of cybercrime. On the other hand, almost ** percent of Jews were worried about being victims of online criminality.

As of 2023, the youngest population group by religion in Israel were Muslims, with a median age of 24 years. On the other hand, the religious group was that of Christians of Arab ethnicity, at 35 years. The median age among Jews, the most populous group in the country, was ****.