Israelis
ישראלים إسرائيليون | |
|---|---|
Map of the Israeli diaspora | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Israel | c. 9.8 million (including occupied territories) |
| United States | 106,839 – 500,000 |
| Russia | 100,000 (80,000 in Moscow) |
| India | 40–70,000 |
| United Kingdom | 11,892 – 50,000 |
| Canada | 21,320 |
| Australia | 15,000 |
| Netherlands | 10,371 |
| Germany | 10,000 |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew (official) Arabic (recognized) English, Russian, French, Amharic, Tigrinya, various others (see languages of Israel) | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Judaism Minority: Islam, Christianity, Druzism, Samaritanism, Baháʼí Faith | |
Israelis (Hebrew: יִשְׂרְאֵלִים, romanized: Yīśreʾēlīm; Arabic: إسرائيليون, romanized: Isrāʾīliyyūn) are the citizens, nationals, and permanent residents of the State of Israel, a multiethnic state. The largest ethnic group is Jews who account for 75% of the population, the second largest ethnic group is Arabs who represent 20% of the population, and the remaining 5% of the population are other ethnic and religious minorities such as Samaritans. Among Jews, 80% were born in Israel (sabras) and the rest are Jewish immigrants. Over 50% of the Jewish population is of at least partial Mizrahi descent.
Early Israeli culture was largely defined by communities of the Jewish diaspora who had made aliyah to British Mandatory Palestine from Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Later Jewish immigration from Ethiopia, the post-Soviet states, and the Americas introduced new cultural elements to Israeli society and have had a profound impact on modern Israeli culture.
Since Israel's independence in 1948, Israelis and people of Israeli descent have had a considerable diaspora, which largely overlaps with the Jewish diaspora but also with that of other ethnic and religious groups. A 2006 study found that almost 10% of the general Israeli population lives abroad, particularly in Russia (with Moscow housing the single largest Israeli community outside of Israel), India, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and throughout Europe.