Palestinian Population and Immigration

Demographic Growth in the Land of Israel Before 1948

Introduction

Between 1880 and 1948, the land known historically as Palestine or the Land of Israel underwent one of the most dramatic demographic transformations in the Middle East. During this period, the total population increased more than fourfold — from about 450,000 to 2,000,000 — while the Jewish population grew from roughly 25,000 to about 650,000, a 26-fold rise.

This growth was driven by three main forces:

1. Massive Jewish immigration (Aliyah) from Europe and the Middle East.
2. High natural increase among Arab (non-Jewish) residents.
3. Limited but real Arab migration from neighboring regions such as Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.

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Population Trends (1880–1948)

Year	Jewish Population	Total Population	Non-Jewish Population	% Jewish	% Non-Jewish Growth (since previous)
1880	25,000	450,000	425,000	6%	—
1890	43,000	530,000	487,000	8%	+14.6%
1914	85,000	700,000	615,000	12%	+26.3%
1922	83,790	757,182	673,392	11%	+9.5%
1931	174,610	1,035,821	861,211	17%	+27.9%
1939	450,000	1,500,000	1,050,000	30%	+21.9%
1945	553,600	1,764,500	1,210,900	31%	+15.3%
1948	650,000	2,000,000	1,350,000	33%	+11.5%

Analysis

• The Jewish population increased from 6% of the total in 1880 to roughly one-third by 1948.
• The non-Jewish (Arab) population also grew rapidly, tripling in 70 years, driven mainly by high birth rates and reduced infant mortality.
• The overall rate of growth in Palestine was significantly higher than in neighboring Arab territories.

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Causes of Growth

Jewish Population

1. Immigration (Aliyah):

  * First Aliyah (1882–1903): Early pioneers from Eastern Europe and Yemen.  
  * Second Aliyah (1904–1914): Socialist settlers; early kibbutzim founded.  
  * Third–Fifth Aliyah (1919–1939): Driven by Zionist revival and Nazi persecution.  

1. Economic Development: Urbanization of Tel Aviv and Haifa; rise of Jewish agriculture and industry.
2. British Policies: The 1917 Balfour Declaration encouraged immigration, while later White Papers (especially 1939) imposed restrictions.

Non-Jewish (Arab) Population

1. Natural Growth: High fertility and improved health systems under British administration.
2. In-Migration from Neighboring Lands: Workers and families from Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt migrated to Palestine for employment in construction, ports, and agriculture.
3. Ottoman Refugee Settlements: Small Circassian, Bosnian, and Albanian colonies established in Galilee and the coastal plain since the 1870s.

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Regional Comparison (1922–1945)

Region	1922 Population	1945 Population	Growth %	Notes
Palestine (Total)	757,000	1,764,000	+133%	Fastest in the region
Palestine (Arabs only)	673,000	1,211,000	+80%	High natural increase
Transjordan	225,000	400,000	+78%	Similar fertility, less migration
Syria	2,400,000	3,100,000	+29%	Modest growth
Lebanon	600,000	900,000	+50%	Moderate growth
Egypt	13,000,000	18,000,000	+38%	Large base, steady growth

Interpretation

Even after excluding Jewish immigration, Arab Palestine’s growth (~80%) exceeded that of all neighboring Arab countries. The Mandate-era economy, boosted by Jewish and British investment, created economic pull factors that attracted Arab migrants from nearby regions.

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Non-Jewish Immigration Patterns

• Ottoman Era (1860–1917):

 - Circassians settled in Kfar Kama and Rehaniya (Galilee).  
 - Bosnians, Albanians, and other Balkan Muslims resettled after the Balkan Wars.  

• British Mandate (1917–1948):

 - Arabs from Transjordan, Egypt, and Syria entered Palestine for work.  
 - Haifa, Jaffa, and the coastal plain were key destinations.  
 - The Peel Commission (1937) and Hope Simpson Report (1930) acknowledged unrecorded Arab immigration tied to economic opportunity.

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Summary Statistics

Population Growth (1880–1948)

• Jewish: +2,500%
• Non-Jewish: +218%
• Total: +344%

Share of Total Population

• 1880 – 6% Jewish
• 1914 – 12%
• 1931 – 17%
• 1948 – 33%

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Scholarly Assessments

• Joan Peters (1984): Argued for significant Arab immigration during the Mandate period.
• Justin McCarthy (1990): Emphasized natural increase as the main cause of Arab growth.
• Bernard Wasserstein (1978): Found moderate migration linked to economic opportunity.
• Kenneth W. Stein (1984): Connected rapid demographic growth to British administration and Jewish development.

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Impact of the 1948 War on Population

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War had a transformative and lasting impact on the region’s demographics.

Displacement of Arab Population

• Between 700,000 and 750,000 Palestinian Arabs left or were expelled from territories that became Israel.
• Many fled to the West Bank (then under Jordanian control), Gaza Strip (under Egyptian control), Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
• The abandoned towns and villages—over 400 according to UN and Israeli sources—were repopulated or demolished during and after the war.
• This displacement became known as the Nakba (“catastrophe”) in Arab narratives.

Jewish Population Movements

• About 10,000–15,000 Jews were displaced from areas captured by Arab forces (East Jerusalem, Hebron, Gush Etzion, etc.).
• Following the war, Israel received a massive influx of Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries:

 - Approximately 850,000 Jews fled or were expelled between 1948 and the early 1960s.  
 - By 1952, roughly half of Israel’s population consisted of immigrants or refugees.

Demographic Aftermath

• Israel’s population in 1949 stood at about 870,000 Jews and 160,000 Arabs.
• The Arab population remaining in Israel became citizens, forming about 15% of the state’s total.
• Surrounding Arab countries absorbed large refugee populations, particularly Jordan, which granted citizenship to most.
• The combined demographic shifts fundamentally altered the balance established under the British Mandate, leading to the distinct populations of modern Israel and the Palestinian territories.

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Conclusion

The demographic transformation of Palestine between 1880 and 1948 was exceptional for both scale and speed. Jewish immigration turned a small minority into a third of the population, laying the foundation for statehood. Arab population growth, though largely natural, was boosted by better living standards and limited inward migration. The 1948 war then redrew the population map entirely—producing dual refugee crises and two separate demographic realities that continue to shape the conflict today.

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References

1. Government of Palestine. Census of Palestine, 1922 & 1931. British Colonial Office.
2. *Palestine Royal (Peel) Commission Report*, Cmd. 5479, 1937.
3. Hope Simpson, Sir John. Report on Immigration, Land Settlement and Development, 1930.
4. McCarthy, Justin. The Population of Palestine. Columbia University Press, 1990.
5. Stein, Kenneth W. The Land Question in Palestine, 1917–1939. University of North Carolina Press, 1984.
6. Wasserstein, Bernard. The British in Palestine. Blackwell, 1978.
7. Peters, Joan. From Time Immemorial. Harper & Row, 1984.
8. League of Nations. Statistical Yearbook 1946.
9. Karpat, Kemal. Ottoman Population, 1830–1914. University of Wisconsin Press, 1985.
10. British Colonial Office. Reports on the Administration of Palestine and Transjordan, 1932–1938.
11. United Nations. Report of the UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine, 1951.
12. Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Statistical Abstract of Israel, 1952–1955.
13. Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press, 2004.