The Jewish Population in Palestine Before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 158. Chapter VI: Population:

CHAPTER VI.

economic development in those sub-districts resulting in a reduction of mortality, a rise in the rate of natural increase and a movement of immigration from other sub-districts.

The Jewish population.

17. Whilst among the Moslem population, which is fundamentally a rural one, increase has been more marked in towns than in villages, among the Jews the opposite phenomenon has taken place. The rural Jewish population has increased at a greater proportionate rate than the urban Jewish population as will be seen from the following figures :

1922

1931

l931

194'

Increase ( % ) 1922-81 1931-44

(Old boundaries)

(New boundaries)

Jewish rural
population 15,172 46,148 29,276 188,220 204 872
Jewish urban
population 68,622 128,467 145,834 415,880 87 186
Total Jewish
population 83,794 174,610 174,610 553,600 108 217 In consequence of this greater rate of increase of rural population the distribution of Jews between towns and villages has changed during the period. In 1922, 18.1 per cent. of the Jews lived in villages and 0.2 per cent. in towns with less than 5.000 inhabitants; by 1944 these percentages had grown to 25 per cent. and 5.9 per cent. respectively. The fundamental character of the Jewish community remains, however, that of an urban population, about two thirds of all the inhabitants being resident in the four large towns : Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Ja ff a.

Tel Aviv, which was originally a small suburb of Jaffa and in 1910 contained only 550 inhabitants, has today about 166.000 Jewish inhabitants and, according to the estimates of population in 1944, is the largest town in Palestine. The Jewish community of Haifa which numbered 3,000 souls before the first world war and 6,230 in l!l22 has grown to about 66,000 in 1944, excluding the industrial suburbs of Haifa Bay. The increases in Jaffa and Jerusalem have been considerably slower. The Jewish community of Jaffa had about 8,000 souls in 1910, 5,000 in 1922*, and about 28,000 in 1944. The Jewish community of Jerusalem numbered in
_____
* Part, of the Jewish quarters of Jaffa were incorporated in the municipality of Tel Aviv.

Page 158