Residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza are younger, healthier, more educated - and are multiplying faster than the rest of Israel. Researchers from the College of Judea & Samaria in Ariel, in a study on population statistics for Yesha for the year 2002, found that the average Yesha household is 4.1 people, with 34 babies born each year for every 1,000 people, compared to 3.3 people per household and 21 births per 1,000 in the rest of the country. The full study will be published next week.
Other findings: The population of Yesha has grown 144% in the past decade - compared to only 32% in the rest of Israel. More Yesha residents receive a high school matriculation diploma than their brethren on the other side of the Green Line; the score is 62.7% for Yesha, and 49.7% elsewhere. The median age in Yesha is 20.3, compared to 27.6 in the rest of the country. 64% of the Yesha population from age 15 and up is employed, averaging 300 shekels a month more than the 54% of the rest of the country who work. Only 1.5 out of every 1,000 Yesha-ites (age 45-64) are hospitalized, compared to 2.2 elsewhere. "We have some good reasons to continue our study," said Dr. Michael Sheffer of the College of Judea & Samaria. "It will be interesting to see why the Yesha residents are [healthier]..."