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.

In the Middle Ages, it is believed the largest Jewish populations in the world were found in Asia, particularly across the Middle East. Of the estimated total Jewish population of 1.2 million people, over 80 percent are thought to have lived in Asia, while 13 percent lived in Europe, and the remaining six precent lived in (North) Africa. The largest populations were found on the Arabian peninsula, as well as Iran and Iraq, while the Near East (here referring to the Levant region) had a much smaller population, despite being the spiritual homeland of the Jewish people.

These figures are based on the records of Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish traveller from the Middle Ages who provided one of the most comprehensive collections of population statistics from the period. Benjamin's writings not only recorded the number of Jews living across this part of the world, but also gave an insight into societal structures and the ordinary daily lives within Jewish communities in the medieval period. The source providing these figures, however, has adjusted some of the statistics to account for known populations that were missing from Benjamin of Tudela's records, especially in Europe and Asia.

In 1995, Israel had a Jewish population of approximately 4.5 million people, of whom approximately 1.75 million were born abroad. Over one million of these immigrants were born in Europe, with over 650,000 of these born in the former Soviet Union. Despite Poland having the largest Jewish population in the world in the pre-WWII years, the number of Polish Jewish migrants and descendents in Israel was relatively small in 1995 when compared to the USSR due to the impact of the Holocaust.

Outside of Europe, Morocco had the largest number of Jewish immigrants and descendents in Israel by 1995. Morocco had the largest Jewish population in the Muslim world when Israel was founded in 1948, with over 250,000 people. Many Moroccan Jews sought to emigrate to Israel at this time, but often faced resistance from authorities and local populations who believed the Jews would join in the fight against the Arab forces seeking to establish a Muslim state in Palestine. The government of Morocco then officially prohibited emigration to Israel after gaining independence from France in 1956, however this policy was reversed in 1961 whereby the Moroccan government began facilitating Jewish emigration to Israel in return for payments from Jewish organizations in the U.S. and Israel. By the 1970s, Morocco's Jewish population had fallen to less than 15 percent of its size in 1948.

Jews were the dominant religious group in the Israel-Palestine region at the beginning of the first millennia CE, and are the dominant religious group there today, however, there was a period of almost 2,000 years where most of the world's Jews were displaced from their spiritual homeland. Antiquity to the 20th century Jewish hegemony in the region began changing after a series of revolts against Roman rule led to mass expulsions and emigration. Roman control saw severe persecution of Jewish and Christian populations, but this changed when the Byzantine Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion in the 4th century. Christianity then dominated until the 7th century, when the Rashidun Caliphate (the first to succeed Muhammad) took control of the Levant. Control of region split between Christians and Muslims intermittently between the 11th and 13th centuries during the Crusades, although the population remained overwhelmingly Muslim. Zionism until today Through the Paris Peace Conference, the British took control of Palestine in 1920. The Jewish population began growing through the Zionist Movement after the 1880s, which sought to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Rising anti-Semitism in Europe accelerated this in the interwar period, and in the aftermath of the Holocaust, many European Jews chose to leave the continent. The United Nations tried facilitating the foundation of separate Jewish and Arab states, yet neither side was willing to concede territory, leading to a civil war and a joint invasion from seven Arab states. Yet the Jews maintained control of their territory and took large parts of the proposed Arab territory, forming the Jewish-majority state of Israel in 1948, and acheiving a ceasefire the following year. Over 750,000 Palestinians were displaced as a result of this conflict, while most Jews from the Arab eventually fled to Israel. Since this time, Israel has become one of the richest and advanced countries in the world, however, Palestine has been under Israeli military occupation since the 1960s and there are large disparities in living standards between the two regions.

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.

Throughout history, the displacement and migration of Jewish populations has been a repeating theme. In ancient times, the worlds Jewish population was concentrated in the Middle East, especially around Judaism's spiritual homeland in present-day Israel. However, the population distribution of the world's Jewry began to shift in the Middle Ages, with an increasing share living in Europe. Initially, Western Europe (particularly France, Italy, and Spain) had the largest Jewish populations, before they then migrated eastward in later centuries. Between the 18th and mid-20th centuries, over half of the worl'd Jews lived in Europe, with over 80 percent of these living in Eastern Europe.

Poland had become a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution in the Middle Ages, although shifting borders and foreign influence meant that long-term security was never fully attained, and a series of pogroms in the Russian Empire in the 1800s, and rising anti-Semitism in Central Europe in the early-1900s contributred to waves of migration to the United States and Israel during this time. After the Holocaust saw the genocide of up to six million Jews (over one third of the world's Jewish population), the share of Jews living in Europe dropped drastically, and emmigration outside of Europe increased. Today, the United States has the world's largest Jewish population in the world at around 7.3 million people, just ahead of Israel with 7.1 million.

​ “Middle East” LanguagesIndependent StudyFebruary 16, 2012Amanda DoyleCo-authors: Kevin Ragborg, Marc Puricelli, and Maria LindellDespite the relatively small geographical size of the “Middle East,” there is great diversity of the spoken languages within the region. The most common spoken language of the “Middle East” is Arabic, a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew that was developed beginning in the 8th century BC. Currently, around 280 million people speak Arabic in the regions of the “Middle East” and North Africa encompassing the countries between Morocco to Iraq. The Qur’an, the central religious text of Islam, is only allowed to be written in Arabic, giving the language a very important role in the Muslim world. Different from some other languages, there are many different dialects of Arabic, which can make it difficult for speakers from different areas of the Arabic speaking world to understand one another3. The next major language of the Middle East is Persian or Farsi, the national language of Iran. Persian is spoken by an estimated 65 million people, most of which are concentrated in Iran but there are significant Persian speaking populations in Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates. Younger than Arabic, Persian was developed around 400 BC and is closely related to Hindi and Urdu. There are three main dialects of Persian: Iranian Persian (spoken in Iran), Dari Persian (spoken in Afghanistan) and Tajik Persian (spoken in Tajikistan.) 4Hebrew is spoken by roughly 3.8 million people in the “Middle East,” but this population is now concentrated in Israel and the neighboring countries. Though, not all Jews, even Israeli Jews, speak Hebrew since centuries ago, Hebrew ceased being a working language; however, due to Jewish nationalism, the Zionist movement, and the need for a unifying language between immigrants into Israel the language has been revived. Turkish, the national language of Turkey and the main spoken language of the Turkish nation is also spoken by roughly 170,000 people in Cyprus and by minorities in the Fertile Crescent area. Kurdish is the language that unifies the Kurds, a nation that spans a large geographical range from Beirut to Afghanistan. Additionally, almost all countries in the “Middle East” have several minority languages, such as Berber, spoken by many North Africans, including some parts of northwestern Egypt. Azeri, a minority Turkic language, is often spoken in northwestern Iran. Turkish tribes in the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran speak Qashqai, while Baluchi is spoken in southeastern and eastern Iran by the Baluch peoples and migrants in United Arab Emirates and Oman. Nomadic tribes in the Zagros Mountains can be found speaking Luri. Lastly, Armenian, due to its historical significance is spoken by minorities in urban centers such as Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Tehran, and Cairo1.Works Cited (1) Held, Colbert C. Middle East Patterns – Places, Peoples and Politics. 2nd ed. Westview Press, Inc.: Boulder, Co, 1994, pgs. 76-80.(2) The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Jordan&countryCode=jo&regionCode=me&#jo.(3) "Learn Arabic - All About the Arabic Language." Innovative Language Learning. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. http://innovativelanguage.com/languagelearning/arabic-language.(4) UCLA, Language Materials Projects. "Persian Language." Iran Chamber Society. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. http://www.iranchamber.com/literature/articles/persian_language.php.

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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

Islam is the major religion in many African countries, especially in the north of the continent. In Comoros, Libya, Western Sahara, at least 99 percent of the population was Muslim as of 202. These were the highest percentages on the continent. However, also in many other African nations, the majority of the population was Muslim. In Egypt, for instance, Islam was the religion of 79 percent of the people. Islam and other religions in Africa Africa accounts for an important share of the world’s Muslim population. As of 2019, 16 percent of the Muslims worldwide lived in Sub-Saharan Africa, while 20 percent of them lived in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Together with Christianity, Islam is the most common religious affiliation in Africa, followed by several traditional African religions. Although to a smaller extent, numerous other religions are practiced on the continent: these include Judaism, the Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Number of Muslims worldwide Islam is one of the most widespread religions in the world. There are approximately 1.9 billion Muslims globally, with the largest Muslim communities living in the Asia-Pacific region. Specifically, Indonesia hosts the highest number of Muslims worldwide, amounting to over 200 million, followed by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Islam is also present in Europe and America. The largest Islamic communities in Europe are in France (5.72 million), Germany (4.95 million), and the United Kingdom (4.13 million). In the United States, there is an estimated number of around 3.45 million Muslims.

Halal Food and Beverage Market Outlook

The global halal food and beverage market size was valued at approximately USD 1.9 trillion in 2023 and is projected to reach around USD 3.5 trillion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8%. The market's growth is driven by increasing Muslim populations, rising awareness about halal certification, and expanding market opportunities in non-Muslim-majority countries. This substantial growth is attributed to several factors including rising disposable incomes in emerging markets, increasing consumer demand for high-quality and safe food products, and greater awareness regarding the health benefits of halal-certified foods.

One of the primary growth factors for the halal food and beverage market is the expanding Muslim population worldwide, which is anticipated to reach 2.2 billion by 2030. This demographic shift has created a substantial and continually growing demand for halal products. Additionally, increased awareness about halal certification among non-Muslim consumers, who perceive halal food as a guarantee of safety and hygiene, has bolstered market growth. Furthermore, marketing campaigns and educational efforts have played a significant role in spreading knowledge about halal standards and their benefits, thereby driving consumer preference towards halal-certified products.

Another critical growth driver is the rise in disposable incomes in several major emerging markets, particularly in countries with significant Muslim populations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Pakistan. As incomes rise, consumers have more financial means to spend on premium and specialty food products, including halal-certified items. This shift in consumer spending behavior is further supported by urbanization and changing lifestyles, which lead to increased demand for convenient and packaged halal food items. The growing influence of social media and e-commerce platforms has also facilitated easier access to a variety of halal food products, further accelerating market expansion.

The increasing inclination of the global food and beverage industry towards ethical and sustainable practices has also contributed to the growth of the halal food and beverage market. Halal certification often encompasses stringent guidelines for livestock handling, slaughtering processes, and overall food safety, which align with the broader consumer trend towards more ethical and transparent food sourcing. As consumers become more health-conscious and environmentally aware, the demand for food products that adhere to high ethical standards continues to rise, benefiting the halal food and beverage sector.

In parallel to the halal food market, the Kosher Food Sales sector is experiencing notable growth, driven by increasing consumer demand for products that meet specific dietary laws and ethical standards. Kosher certification, much like halal, assures consumers of the quality and safety of food products, appealing to both Jewish and non-Jewish consumers who value these standards. The rise in health-conscious eating and the demand for transparency in food sourcing have further propelled the popularity of kosher foods. Additionally, the global expansion of kosher-certified products has been supported by the growing interest in ethnic and specialty foods, which cater to a diverse consumer base seeking unique and culturally significant culinary experiences.

Regionally, the Asia Pacific region dominates the halal food and beverage market due to its large Muslim population and rapidly growing economies. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are key markets within this region. The Middle East and Africa also hold significant market shares, driven by religious adherence and growing food service industries. North America and Europe, although hosting smaller Muslim populations, are seeing increasing market penetration due to rising awareness and demand for halal-certified products among both Muslims and health-conscious non-Muslim consumers.

Product Type Analysis

The halal food and beverage market is segmented by product type into meat and alternatives, dairy products, beverages, confectionery, and others. The meat and alternatives segment, which includes halal-certified poultry, beef, lamb, and plant-based meat alternatives, holds the largest market share. This dominance is primarily due to the central role that meat plays in Muslim diets and the stringent religious requirements for meat processing and certif

In 2022, around 31.6 percent of the global population were identify as Christian. Around 25.8 percent of the global population identify as Muslims, followed by 15.1 percent of global populations as Hindu.

From 2014 to 2024, the number of individuals identifying as Jewish in Finland decreased overall. In 2024, approximately 1,033 people in Finland identified themselves as Jewish.

This statistic shows U.S. prison chaplains estimations of the percentage of inmates belonging to different organized faiths and religions as of 2011. Chaplains surveyed reported that on average 50.6 percent of inmates were of protestant faiths.

Additional information on religion in United States prisons

The religious affiliation of inmates in the United States, the country with most prisoners per head globally, is reasonably similar to the religious affiliations of the society overall. That said, the proportion of non-religious inmates and those declining to express their religious affiliation is smaller than the overall proportion. In contrast the number of Muslim inmates is disproportionately large in comparison with wider society. As a result a sizable share of prison chaplains identity as Muslim, catering to the preferences of the Muslim prison population.

Following the September 11, 2001 World Trade Centre attacks and the subsequent War on Terror launched by George W. Bush, religious extremism has been a target of public debate and policy. The debate has stretched into prisons particularly with the United States prison on Guantanamo Bay holding a number of suspected terrorists related to religious extremism. In turn, fears have been raised that prisons have become a hotbed for religious extremism.

Critics have argued that religious extremism has provided an unwarranted justification for the conviction of Muslims. Regardless of the supposed reason for their imprisonment, this disproportionate number presents a problem for United States policy makers.

In 2021, 53.3 percent of the total population in Canada were Christian, 4.9 percent were Muslim, but almost more than a third are not religious at all – with the rest stating they adhere to Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, the Jewish faith, and other Christian denominations. Canada’s religious pluralismCanada is not a very religious country in general. Canadians adhere to a wide variety of beliefs and faiths, with the majority following Christianity, followed by those who do not believe in any deity or religion at all. As with many Western countries, the younger generations are less inclined to identify with faith, and Christianity in particular is not as popular as it is among the older generations. Alternative worship for the younger generations?Canadian teenagers are no less enthusiastic about religion than their parents, and they are just as grounded in their faith as the older generations. They are, however, also just as indecisive when it comes to whether they would call themselves religious or not. Interestingly, they seem much more interested in traditional aboriginal spirituality than in the Judeo-Christian model. They also seem quite interested in another alternative to Christianity: Buddhism is quite popular among the younger generations. Whether this signifies a general trend away from Christianity and towards religious alternatives remains to be seen.

Since the terrorist organization Hamas launched its attacks on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 Israelis died, and 5,431 were injured. Through retaliation attacks by the Israeli armed forces against Hamas in Gaza, 56,156 Palestinians were killed, and 132.239 were injured. As of January 2025, the number of Palestinian deaths in the West Bank was 924, due to the on going conflict. Information on the data situation Data on the number of fatalities and injuries are based on the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) reporting by both parties to the conflict. The respective data sources were named for the purpose of transparency. It must be stated that in the case of wars and other conflicts, objective data collection is almost impossible, and reports are based on estimates. At the same time, it needs to be noted that some parties to the conflict may use numbers and data selectively for their own agenda. Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, 2023 Before October 2023, there had been four wars between Israel and Hamas. The current conflict is already the deadliest, and the death toll is certain to rise. The new escalation of violence in the Middle East started after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel in the early hours of October 7, 2023. An estimated 2,200 rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza toward Israeli targets, hitting civilian buildings and military facilities. Hamas fighters entered the Israeli territory, killing around 1,200 of Israeli citizens. In the weeks that followed, the Israeli military conducted an aerial bombardment and launched a ground offensive in Gaza. Humanitarian pauses allowed aid to get into Gaza, but fighting has continued since a weeklong cease-fire ended on December 1, 2023. Operation Iron Swords and the humanitarian situation of Gaza Initially, Israel reacted to the Hamas attacks with further isolation of the Gaza Strip, cutting off the supply of electricity, fuel, and drinking water. As of November 6, 2023, water supply to parts of the Gaza Strip has been resumed. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) summoned the Palestinians to evacuate the northern part of the Gaza Strip towards the south of Gaza in the direction of the Egyptian border. This affects around 1.93 million people out of the 2.06 million inhabitants of Gaza. According to the UN, over one million people are internally displaced inside the Gaza Strip. Some trucks with relief supplies could infrequently enter the territory via the Rafah border from Egypt. This Israeli military operation is one of the longest-lasting in Gaza, and over 6,000 bombs were already dropped by the IDF.