ByAnshel Pfeffer, Anshel Pfeffer
Israel's population has risen to 8,345,000 as the country marks the 67th anniversary of its independence, new figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics have revealed.
The figure is more than 10 times its 806,000 citizens in 1948.
In 2015, three-quarters of Israelis are Jewish - 6.25 million.
During the past 12 months the population grew by two per cent, with 176,000 births and 32,000 new immigrants arriving. Three-quarters of Israelis are native-born "sabras".
Newly independent Israel only had one large city, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, numbering more than 100,000 residents in 1948.
The country now has 14 cities, each with a population of more than 100,000. Six of them have more than 200,000, and Jerusalem, the largest, has 830,000.
On Tuesday, the eve of Independence Day, Israel commemorated Yom Hazikaron - Remembrance Day for fallen IDF soldiers.
Israel has lost 23,320 soldiers in its wars, and 2,538 civilians have been murdered in terror attacks since the Independence War ended in 1949.
In the past 12 years, 116 soldiers have been killed, including 67 during last year's Gaza conflict.