Israel’s secret weapon: The Jewish baby boom

The “birth dearth” has hit nearly all nations in the developed world, where the US, France and the UK represent exceptions by approaching the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. In only one developed nation on earth does the birthrate reach 3: that nation, surprisingly, is Israel. Orthodox Jewish families lead the way in terms of fertility, but even among Israel’s secular majority,
birthrates far exceed those in the USA and elsewhere.

Analyst Paul Morland suggests that this baby boom stems from “a positive, life-affirming outlook, which, for whatever reason, does seem to characterize Israeli society.” The rising Israeli birthrate should reassure those who worry that Arab birthrates will one day produce a Palestinian majority; among Jewish citizens, birthrates are already slightly higher and rising steadily, while Jewish residents are far less likely to relocate outside the country.