Data & Statistics

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Data & Statistics

The Prime Minister's Office released a report in February 2008 with the most recent
statistics regarding the Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel:

• Approximately 110,000 Ethiopian immigrants are

living in Israel today. Of these, 31% were born in
Israel.
• Approximately 50% of Ethiopian immigrants are 19
and younger. About 28% are six and younger. 15,000
are between 20-35.
• Approximately 8,800 Ethiopian immigrants live in
27 absorption centers. 25% of Ethiopian immigrant
families live in approximately 15 neighborhoods.
• Unemployment for Ethiopian men and women, aged
18-35, is 20.6% and 18.3%, respectively.
• 68% of Ethiopian immigrants live below the poverty
line (as compared to 21% of immigrants from the
former USSR).

When they arrived in Israel, most Ethiopian immigrants had no formal education and could
not read or write Amharic. The severity of the culture shock cannot be underestimated. In
some cases, immigrants have had to bridge a knowledge gap spanning hundreds of years.
In addition to adjusting to life in a modern, technologically advanced society, Ethiopian
immigrants are faced with a new climate, a new language, unfamiliar religious rituals and a
very different status for women. The immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel has raised some
major challenges, in particular how this group can become an integral part of Israeli society
and how they can adapt to the major differences in lifestyle from their villages in Ethiopia
to a fast-paced modern country. The Ethiopian National Project (ENP) unites organizations
that strive to benefit the Ethiopian population in Israel and, together with the Ethiopian-Israeli
community, identifies socio-economic shortfalls and takes action to ensure it reaches its full
potential.

Additional Data & Statistics:

» Facts and Figures on University Students

» Facts and Figures on IDF Preparation