Olim arrive in Israel with Nefesh B'Nefesh
Olim arrive in Israel with Nefesh B'NefeshFlash 90

Some 3.2 million people have immigrated to Israel since the founding of the state in 1948, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The immigration figures, which reflect Aliyah from 1948 to 2015, show that immigration was heavily concentrated in two major waves: the first from 1948 through 1951, and the second from 1990 to 1999.

Since the beginning of the second wave of mass immigration in 1990, when large numbers of Jews from Warsaw Pact countries made Aliyah, some 1.35 million immigrants have come to Israel, or about 42% of all Aliyah since 1948.

While Aliyah in recent years has been slow – particularly since the Second Intifada – the rate of immigration has been trending upward since 2008. Last year saw a 15.7% increase in total immigration rates over 2014, with 27,908 immigrants.

On Wednesday the Knesset marked 100 years of American Jewish contributions to Israel and Zionism, including a report on American Aliyah to Israel and financial support for the Jewish state.

Since 1972, 115,195 immigrants from the US have made Aliyah, and the rate of American Aliyah is on the rise.

While the number immigrants from the US to Israel from 1991 to 2000 averaged only 2,246 per year, that figure rose to 2,635 from 2001 to 2010. Since 2011, the average annual rate of American immigration surged to 3,290, the highest level the 1960s.

According to the report, the top destinations for American immigrants are Jerusalem, which is home to 29,882 American émigrés who arrived since 1972. Tel Aviv was a distant second with 10,620, followed by Beit Shemesh with 6,937, Raanana with 3,717, Haifa with 3,520, Netanya with 3,043, Modiin with 2,006, and Efrat with 1,978.