Youthful demographics leave Haredi and Arab communities under-represented in Israel's vote

Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics released new demographic data revealing that the Haredi and Arab segments of society will be under-represented among voters in the upcoming Knesset election. Haredi Jews, who make up 13.9% of the country's total population, account for just 10.5% of the 6.5 million eligible voters residing in Israel. Arab citizens, comprising 22% of the population, represent only 18% of eligible voters, a shortfall that also reflects the presence of non-citizen residents, especially in eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

The voting-age gap is starkest in Jerusalem, where only 39.2% of residents meet the voting age, with Beit Shemesh at 47.1% and Bnei Brak at 50.4%. In larger cities with populations over 100,000, voter eligibility typically ranges between 70% and 80%. Nationwide, roughly 7.3 million Israelis, including about 810,000 living abroad, are eligible to vote in the Oct. 27 election, a 5.4% increase since the November 2022 election.