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Jewish Population of Australia Close to 100,000 for First Time

The Jewish population of Australia hit a new record in the latest census figures for 2021.

The data released on Tuesday, June 28, showed there were 99,956 Jews in the country, a 9.8 percent increase from the last figure in 2016 of 91,023, the Australian Jewish News reported.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released from the 2021 Australian Census showed a historic record, with the Jewish population nearly at 100,000 for the first time, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) stated.

ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim told the news outlet that he believed the number of Jews was undercounted with some Holocaust survivors not comfortable with marking down their religions and the “no religion” option at the top of questions attracting a number of non-religious Jews. He estimated that there were likely around 120,000 Jews in Australia currently.

The census data found that Victoria continues to be the state or territory with the most Jews at 46,645, with New South Wales in second with 40,249. The two states make up 85 percent of the Jewish community in Australia.

The census also found that there were 55,860 Jews born in Australia, with the second most common birthplace of Australian Jews being South Africa. (INN / VFI News)