Recent Aliyah Statistics

Director-General’s Report, December 2008

This report relates to all people arriving in Israel, including those already here who were changing their status, and Israelis who were processed by Aliyah Shlichim (such as returning minors, minors with Israeli citizenship, foreign-born citizens and returning residents)-henceforth "people arriving in Israel" unless otherwise stated. Israelis processed by Aliyah Shlichim were mainly from Western countries.

Between January-December 2008, 15,379 people arrived in Israel under the auspices of the Jewish Agency, a 22% decrease compared to the number that arrived during the same period last year. Among these 13,619 are immigrants (including those who willingly changed their status and those who have had citizenship conferred on them). The rest were Israelis who were processed by Aliyah Shlichim.

Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

Aliyah from the West

• Between January-December 2008, 2,976 people arrived from Western Europe. Of these, 2,425 were immigrants and 551 were Israelis, compared to 3,937 that arrived during the same time period, a decrease of 24%. (a 28% decrease in immigrants, and a 6% decrease in Israelis).
• 1,863 immigrants arrived from France, a 31% decrease compared to the same period last year (2,717).
• 623 immigrants and Israelis arrived in January-December 2008 from Great Britain, a 6% decrease as compared to the number that arrived during the same period last year (660).
• 3,192 immigrants and Israelis arrived in January-December 2008 from North America, an increase of 4% compared to  the same period last year (3,074).
• 1,073 immigrants and Israelis arrived from South America, a 34% decrease compared to the same period last year. The top two countries in South America with increases in immigration are Brazil (233) and Argentina (215).
• 339 immigrants arrived in January-December 2008 from South Africa, a 90% increase compared to the same period last year (178).
• 175 immigrants arrived in January-December 2008 from Oceania, a 33% increase compared to the same period last year (132).

Aliyah from Other Countries

1,582 immigrants arrived from Ethiopia between January-December 2008, a 56% decrease compared with the same period last year. And this is after the government's decision on slowing down the pace of aliyah from Ethiopia.  43 immigrants arrived from Ethiopia during the month of December.

Immigrants in Israeli Absorption Centers
During December 2008 there were 9,730 immigrants living in initial absorption facilities.

1. 4,167 were in absorption centers. 6% of them are participants in the Selah program, 10% are students, 8% are (other) youth, 19% are pre-aliyah registration, and 2% are participants of business programs. 1,905 of the immigrants in absorption centers (46%) are immigrants from Ethiopia.
2. An additional 5,464 immigrants from Ethiopia were living in additional absorption facilities run by the Jewish Agency for the specific purpose of absorbing the current wave of immigration from Ethiopia.

 For more information please visit http://www.aliyah.org/

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