Worldwide Jewish population nears pre-Holocaust numbers

New report indicates there are currently 14.2 million Jews worldwide, nearing pre-World War II global Jewish population of 16.6 million

Congregants praying at the Kadoorie Synagogue in Porto, Portugal, May 2014. (Courtesy of the Jewish community of Porto/JTA)

The worldwide Jewish population is approaching the size it was before the Holocaust, a new report by an independent Jerusalem-based think tank says.

The report, compiled by the Jewish People Policy Institute, indicates that there are 14.2 million Jews worldwide as of early 2015. Add in various “subgroups” (such as immigrants to Israel and American “partial Jews”) and the number approaches 16 million — which nears the pre-World War II global Jewish population of 16.6 million, Ynet reported on Friday.

After Israel, which is home to 6,103,200 Jews, the United States has the second-highest Jewish population at 5,700,000.

The JPPI report says that the last decade (2005-2015) has seen an eight percent increase in the Jewish population, or the biggest increase since the end of World War II. According to Ynet, the JPPI based these numbers on “halacha criteria for those living in Israel and self-identification for those living outside of Israel.”

See the list of countries and regions with the highest Jewish populations below.

polecil: Vlady Rozenbaum

• Israel– 6,103,200
• United States– 5,700,000
• France– 475,000
• Canada- 385,300
• Latin America– 383,500
• Britain– 290,000
• Russia– 186,000
• Germany– 118,000
• Australia– 112,500
• Africa– 74,700
• South Africa– 70,000
• Ukraine– 63,000
• Hungary– 47,900
• Iran– 20,000
• Asia– 19,700
• Romania– 9,400
• New Zealand– 7,600
• Morocco– 2,400