The population of Israel stands at 7,509,000 at the close of 2009, according to new data released Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

According to the data, 5,664,000 Israelis are Jewish, making up some 75.4 percent of the population. Arabs make up 20.3% of the population, at 1,526,000, and there are 319,000 'others,' (4.3%).

During 2009, the Israeli population grew by 1.8%, according to the CBS, by 135,000 people.

From 2003, the population rate of the Israeli population has been a steady 1.8% per year.

The data also showed that 160,000 babies were born in the past year, and 39,000 people died.

A total of 14,500 new immigrants arrived in Israel throughout 2009, which was similar to the previous year's figures, however the Jewish Agency said earlier this week that aliya rose by some 17% in 2009, from 13,860 in 2008 to some 16,200 this year.

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