Birthrate up for Jews, down for Muslims
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich , THE JERUSALEM POST Nov. 6, 2007
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The country's fertility rate continues to rise; the average number of babies
born to Muslim women is falling; having babies before the age of 20 is less
common, and the average age when women have their first child is up. These
are some of the findings of the report on Patterns of Fertility in 2006
released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

A total of 148,170 babies came into the world last year: 71 percent of them
were born to Jewish mothers and 23% to Muslims; 3% to women of undetermined
religion; 2% to Druse; and 1% to Christians (81% of those Arabs). According
to data from 2006, the average Israeli woman will have 2.9 children in her
lifetime, compared to 2.8 based on 2005 figures. The average fertility rate
among Jewish women rose from 2.7 in 2005 to 2.8 in 2006. Muslim women's
fertility has declined to four children, compared to 4.7 in 2000. The
lifetime fertility rate for Christian Arab women was 2.2 children in 2006,
compared to 2.7 in 1996.

The highest rates are in haredi towns such as Modi'in Illit (Kiryat Sefer)
and Betar Illit, with an average of eight children per woman, and in Beduin
towns such as Tel Sheva (6.8), Rahat and Arara. The least fertile cities
were Ariel (1.7), Kiryat Yam, Tirat Carmel, Kiryat Bialik and Upper
Nazareth.
There were 3% more newborns than during the previous year, with the increase
due largely to a higher birthrate among Jewish women. Baby boys - 51.3% -
are more common than girls.

In 2006, the average woman gave birth to her first child at 26.8 years,
about a year and six months older than a decade earlier. Only 3,966 babies
were born in 2006 to women under the age of 20. Nearly 5,900 single Jewish
women gave birth that year; most had never been married; the rate was 6.6
births per 1,000 single women in 2006, compared to 4.3 a decade before. Most
of the increase was among women in their late 30s.

In 2005, 4.4% of all newborns were from multiple pregnancies. During the
last decade, there has been a 12% increase in multiple births - putting
Israel near the top in this category. Ninety-six percent of the multiple
births were twins, and 3% triplets (compared to 10% triplets a decade
before).

Fully 99.6% of all deliveries are in a hospital. But 3.6% of Muslim women in
the South give birth at home.