List of cities in Israel

This article lists the 73 localities in Israel that the Israeli Ministry of Interior has designated as a city council. It excludes the 4 Israeli settlements in the West Bank designated as cities, but occupied East Jerusalem is included within Jerusalem.

This article is about cities within Israel. For settlements established by Israel in the Israeli-occupied territories, see List of Israeli settlements.

Jerusalem

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Haifa

Rishon LeZion

Ashdod

Beersheba

Petah Tikva

Netanya

Holon

Bnei Brak

Bat Yam

Ramat Gan

Ashkelon

Rehovot

Beit Shemesh

Kfar Saba

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The list is based on the current index of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Within Israel's system of local government, an urban municipality can be granted a city council by the Interior Ministry when its population exceeds 20,000.^[1] The term "city" does not generally refer to local councils or urban agglomerations, even though a defined city often contains only a small portion of an urban area or metropolitan area's population.

List

Israel has 16 cities with populations over 100,000, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Yafo.^[2] In all, there are 77 Israeli localities granted "municipalities" (or "city") status by the Ministry of the Interior, including four Israeli settlements in the West Bank.^[3] Two more cities are planned: Kasif, a planned city to be built in the Negev, and Harish, originally a small town currently being built into a large city. The area and population of Jerusalem includes that of East Jerusalem which has been de facto annexed by Israel and incorporated within Jerusalem's municipal borders under the Jerusalem Law. This, however, is not recognized by the international community who regard East Jerusalem to be Palestinian territory held under Israeli occupation.^[4][5] If East Jerusalem is considered part of Israel, Tel Aviv is the country's second most populous city with 452,000 residents after Jerusalem with 919,000; if not, Tel Aviv is the most populous city before West Jerusalem with around 350,000.

The following table lists all Israeli cities by name, district, population, and area, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics:

Name	Photo	District	First settlement	Population estimate, 2022[6]	Population census, 2008[7]	Change, 2008– –2022	Area, km2 [8]	Density, per km2 [9]	Socio- economic index[10]
Acre[cbs 1]		North	Bronze Age	51,420	46,100	+11.54%	13.5	3,362.0	−0.395
Afula		North	Bronze Age	61,519	40,200	+53.03%	26.9	1,611.7	−0.028
Arad		South	1962	28,170	23,400	+20.38%	93.1	195.9	0.287
Arraba[cbs 2]		North	N/A	27,115	20,600	+31.63%	8.25	3,097.1	−0.945
Ashdod		South	1956[note 1]	226,827	204,300	+11.03%	47.2	4,783.9	−0.109
Ashkelon[cbs 3]		South	Neolithic	153,138	110,600	+38.46%	47.8	2,964.8	-0.032
Baqa al-Gharbiyye		Haifa	Middle Ages	31,397	N/A	N/A	16.4	3,152.1	−0.736
Bat Yam		Tel Aviv	1926	128,465	130,300	−1.41%	8.2	15,758.4	−0.025
Beersheba[cbs 4]		South	1900[note 2]	214,162	193,400	+10.74%	117.5	1,751.7	0.035
Beit She'an[cbs 5]		North	Neolithic	19,073	16,900	+12.86%	7.3	2,379.9	−0.277
Beit Shemesh[cbs 6]		Jerusalem	1950	154,694	72,700	+112.78%	34.3	2,866.6	−1.149
Bnei Brak[cbs 7]		Tel Aviv	1924	218,357	151,800	+43.85%	7.1	25,709.4	−1.304
Dimona		South	1955	36,776	32,400	+13.51%	29.9	193.7	−0.235
Eilat[cbs 8]		South	1951	53,151	47,300	+12.37%	84.8	509.6	0.247
El'ad		Center	1998	49,487	33,900	+45.98%	2.8	13,138.6	−1.493
Giv'at Shmuel[cbs 9]		Center	1944	28,994	21,000	+38.07%	2.6	9,978.1	1.124
Givatayim[cbs 10]		Tel Aviv	1922	61,924	52,100	+18.86%	3.3	18,058.2	1.417
Hadera		Haifa	1891	103,041	79,400	+29.77%	49.4	1,809.2	0.255
Haifa		Haifa	Antiquity	290,306	264,300	+9.84%	63.7	4,331.4	0.652
Herzliya[cbs 11]		Tel Aviv	1924	106,741	86,300	+23.69%	21.6	4,291.0	1.373
Hod HaSharon		Center	1924	65,614	46,300	+41.71%	21.6	3,058.9	1.485
Holon		Tel Aviv	1935	197,957	176,300	+12.28%	18.9	10,017.7	0.509
Jerusalem		Jerusalem	Neolithic (East Jerusalem) mid-1800s (West Jerusalem)	981,711	759,700	+29.22%	125.2	7,014.1	−0.802
Kafr Qasim[cbs 12]		Center	19th century	25,285	18,400	+37.42%	8.7	2,391.5	−0.841
Karmiel[cbs 13]		North	1964	47,317	44,200	+7.05%	19.2	2,056.3	0.309
Kfar Saba[cbs 14]		Center	1903	101,556	82,800	+22.65%	14.2	6,831.0	1.191
Kfar Yona[cbs 15]		Center	1932	29,450	16,500	+78.48%	11.0	1,962.4	0.786
Kiryat Ata[cbs 16]		Haifa	1925	61,142	50,400	+21.31%	16.7	3,253.0	0.249
Kiryat Bialik[cbs 17]		Haifa	1934	44,620	37,200	+19.95%	8.2	4,650.1	0.567
Kiryat Gat[cbs 18]		South	1954	64,437	47,500	+35.66%	16.3	3,328.2	−0.378
Kiryat Malakhi[cbs 19]		South	1950	25,705	20,500	+25.39%	4.6	4,741.2	−0.594
Kiryat Motzkin[cbs 20]		Haifa	1934	48,001	38,100	+25.99%	3.8	10,612.0	0.590
Kiryat Ono[cbs 21]		Tel Aviv	1939	43,241	30,000	+44.14%	4.1	8,557.8	1.513
Kiryat Shmona[cbs 22]		North	1949	22,492	23,200	−3.05%	14.2	1,595.8	−0.014
Kiryat Yam[cbs 23]		Haifa	1941	41,095	37,700	+9.01%	4.3	8,568.6	0.018
Lod		Center	Neolithic	85,351	69,400	+22.98%	12.2	6,078.3	−0.448
Ma'alot-Tarshiha		North	1963	22,521	20,600	+9.33%	6.8	2,303.0	0.024
Migdal HaEmek[cbs 24]		North	1953	27,088	23,900	+13.34%	7.6	2,876.6	−0.273
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut [cbs 25]		Center	1985	99,171	69,300	+43.10%	50.2	1,862.5	1.351
Nahariya[cbs 26]		North	1935	63,947	51,300	+24.65%	10.2	4,941.8	0.436
Nazareth		North	Bronze Age	78,007	71,700	+8.80%	14.1	5,357.9	−0.558
Nesher		Haifa	1923	23,761	23,300	+1.98%	12.8	1,828.9	0.783
Ness Ziona[cbs 27]		Center	1883	50,341	36,100	+39.45%	15.6	3,071.5	1.265
Netanya		Center	1929	233,104	180,100	+29.43%	29.0	6,807.7	0.240
Netivot		South	1956	46,374	26,100	+77.68%	5.6	2,874.7	−0.760
Nof HaGalil		North	1957	44,184	41,400	+6.72%	32.5	1,224.4	0.055
Ofakim[cbs 28]		South	1955	35,506	24,000	+47.94%	10.3	2,565.0	−0.757
Or Akiva[cbs 29]		Haifa	1951	20,874	16,000	+30.46%	3.5	3,165.3	−0.097
Or Yehuda		Tel Aviv	1955	38,854	33,900	+14.61%	5.1	5,477.7	0.133
Petah Tikva[cbs 30]		Center	1878	255,387	200,300	+27.50%	35.9	6,626.5	0.655
Qalansawe		Center	Middle Ages	24,205	18,200	+32.99%	8.4	2,603.2	−1.011
Ra'anana[cbs 31]		Center	1922	80,260	68,300	+17.51%	14.9	4,833.8	1.462
Rahat		South	1972	79,064	50,000	+58.13%	19.6	3,283.9	−1.848
Ramat Gan		Tel Aviv	1921	172,486	143,600	+20.12%	13.2	9,376.1	1.041
Ramat HaSharon		Tel Aviv	1923	48,181	39,000	+23.54%	16.8	2,708.3	1.796
Ramla		Center	8th century	79,132	65,700	+20.44%	11.9	6,252.2	−0.333
Rehovot		Center	1890	150,748	111,100	+35.69%	23.0	5,712.4	0.629
Rishon LeZion[cbs 32]		Center	1882	260,453	226,800	+14.84%	58.7	4,212.6	0.886
Rosh HaAyin		Center	1949	73,678	37,900	+94.40%	24.4	2,868.0	0.578
Safed[cbs 33]		North	Bronze Age	38,029	29,600	+28.48%	29.2	1,123.5	−1.011
Sakhnin		North	Bronze Age	33,188	25,100	+32.22%	9.8	3,062.2	−0.740
Sderot[cbs 34]		South	1951	33,002	20,700	+59.43%	4.5	3,788.0	−0.223
Shefa-'Amr[cbs 35]		North	Bronze Age	43,543	35,700	+21.97%	19.8	2,065.0	−0.784
Tamra		North	N/A	35,834	28,100	+27.52%	29.3	1,118.1	−0.983
Tayibe		Center	N/A	46,020	35,700	+28.91%	18.7	2,198.7	−0.878
Tel Aviv-Yafo		Tel Aviv	Neolithic (Jaffa) 1887 (Neve Tzedek)	474,530	402,600	+17.87%	51.8	8,473.0	1.221
Tiberias		North	20	48,472	41,600	+16.52%	10.9	2,663.5	−0.379
Tira[cbs 36]		Center	N/A	27,802	22,200	+25.23%	11.9	2,128.7	−0.469
Tirat Carmel[cbs 37]		Haifa	N/A	28,753	18,600	+54.59%	5.6	3,425.4	−0.138
Umm al-Fahm		Haifa	N/A	58,665	45,000	+30.37%	22.3	2,053.4	−1.294
Yavne		Center	Bronze Age	56,232	32,800	+71.44%	10.7	2,690.9	0.455
Yehud-Monosson		Center	N/A	31,405	26,200	+19.87%	5.0	5,862.3	1.034
Yokneam Illit[cbs 38]		North	1950	24,617	19,000	+29.56%	7.4	2,649.1	0.800

See also

• Arab localities in Israel
• Chronology of Aliyah in modern times
• Demographics of Israel
• Districts of Israel
• Four Holy Cities
• Jewish population by city
• List of cities administered by the Palestinian Authority
• List of cities of the ancient Near East
• List of kibbutzim
• List of largest metropolitan areas of the Middle East
• List of modern names for biblical place names
• List of moshavim
• List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel
• List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict
• Lists of cities by country
• Population displacements in Israel after 1948
• Population statistics for Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip
• Population statistics for Israeli settlements in the West Bank

Notes

General

1. Tel Ashdod, remains of the ancient town, lies east of the modern city.
2. Tel Be'er Sheva, remains of the ancient town, lies east of the modern city.

Official spellings

1. Akko
2. Arrabe
3. Ashqelon
4. Be'er Sheva
5. Bet She'an
6. Bet Shemesh
7. Bene Beraq
8. Elat
9. Giv'at Shemu'el
10. Giv'atayim
11. Herzliyya
12. Kafar Qasem
13. Karmi'el
14. Kefar Sava
15. Kefar Yona
16. Qiryat Atta
17. Qiryat Bialik
18. Qiryat Gat
19. Qiryat Mal'akhi
20. Qiryat Motzkin
21. Qiryat Ono
22. Qiryat Shemona
23. Qiryat Yam
24. Migdal HaEmeq
25. Modi'in-Makkabbim-Re'ut
26. Nahariyya
27. Nes Ziyyona
28. Ofaqim
29. Or Aqiva
30. Petah Tiqwa
31. Ra'annana
32. Rishon LeZiyyon
33. Zefat
34. Sederot
35. Shefar'am
36. Tire
37. Tirat Karmel
38. Yoqne'am Illit

References

1. "Israeli Democracy: How Does It Work?". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
2. "Inventory of World Cities". Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
3. 2.22 Localities and Population, by Municipal Status and District Archived 17 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 2018
4. Symon, Fiona (4 December 2001). "Jerusalem: Crucible of the conflict". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
5. "Background on East Jerusalem". B'Tselem. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
6. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
7. "Profiles by Locality". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
8. "2004 local government profile" (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
9. Population and Density per Sq. Km. in Localities Numbering 5,000 Residents and More on 31.12.2016 (Report). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
10. SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDEX 2013 OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER OF HEBREW NAMES (PDF) (Report). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.

External links

• Cities and Communities in Israel at the Israel Ministry of Tourism
• Geography of Israel at the Jewish Virtual Library
• Localities Numbering 5,000 Residents and More at the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
• Localities of Israel at Curlie