Haredi population grows rapidly while male employment and army service stall, IDI report finds
According to IDI, the ultra Orthodox community is growing fast, but gaps in employment, income, and military service persist, particularly among haredi men.
The Israel Democracy Institute on Sunday released its 10th annual Statistical Report on Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Society, finding that stagnation in haredi male employment and military enlistment has persisted over the past decade, as the community’s population and yeshiva enrollment have continued to grow.
The report was published as the government is advancing legislation aimed at regulating haredi conscription and as the issue of military service exemptions remains under legal scrutiny.
According to the report, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox population numbers approximately 1.45 million people, accounting for about 14.3% of the country’s total population. The IDI found that 57% of the ultra-Orthodox population is under the age of 19, making it one of the youngest societies in the world.
The IDI said this age structure, driven by a fertility rate of approximately 6.5 children per woman, creates ongoing and growing pressure on the education system, welfare services, and the labor market. The report noted that fertility rates and age at marriage have remained largely unchanged over the past decade, contributing to the continued rapid growth of the ultra-Orthodox population.
Alongside these demographic trends, the report found that employment outcomes for ultra-Orthodox men have largely stalled. The IDI reported that male employment rates have remained in the low-50% range over the past decade, while employment among ultra-Orthodox women has continued to rise and now stands at a level nearly identical to that of non-haredi Jewish women. Despite this, the report found that income levels for both ultra-Orthodox men and women remain significantly lower than those of their non-haredi counterparts.
Ultra-Orthodox education system spike
The report also highlighted the sharp growth of the ultra-Orthodox education system. According to IDI, approximately 420,000 students were enrolled in ultra-Orthodox educational frameworks in the 2024-2025 school year, accounting for about 21% of all students in Israel and roughly 27% of Hebrew-language education. Over the past decade, the number of yeshiva and kollel students increased by 83%, from 92,500 to approximately 169,500.
The report noted that official figures for 2024 show a decline in the number of registered yeshiva and kollel students but said this reflects funding definitions rather than a reduction in actual enrollment, as close to 70,000 draft-age students are not funded and therefore do not appear in Education Ministry data.
While the rate of ultra-Orthodox students eligible for a matriculation certificate (bagrut) has risen from 10% to 16% over the past decade, the IDI found that the gap compared to state and state-religious education, where eligibility stands at roughly 85%, remains wide.
On military and national service, the report found that 3,060 graduates of ultra-Orthodox education enlisted in 2024, a figure nearly identical to that recorded a decade earlier. The IDI noted that due to rapid demographic growth, this represents a decline in enlistment rates in real terms. Of those who enlisted in the IDF, 55% were placed in general tracks rather than frameworks designated for the ultra-Orthodox.
The report stated that this distribution indicates that many individuals counted as ultra-Orthodox recruits either do not identify as ultra-Orthodox at the time of service or have since left the community.
The IDI’s economic analysis further found that 33% of ultra-Orthodox families live below the poverty line, compared to 14% among non-Haredi Jewish families. At the same time, 75% of the ultra-Orthodox population owns an apartment, a rate slightly higher than that of the non-haredi Jewish public.
The report concluded that despite improvements in areas such as technological training, higher education participation, and internet use, the overall data reflect a decade of stagnation in the integration of ultra-Orthodox men, particularly in employment, income, and military service, even as the community continues to grow rapidly.
