European Jewish Population in Decline

The Times of Israel reports that the percentage of Jews in Europe is as low now as it was 1,000 years ago and is declining even further according to a new study published by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) in London. Today, European Jewry consists of about 1.3 million, with two in three people living in one of three countries — France, the United Kingdom or Germany.

Here are a few highlights from the study (at page 15):

• The Jewish population of France is in serious decline. The report estimates the Jewish population of France in 2020 was 449,000 compared with 530,000 in 1975, a decline of 15%.
• The Jewish population of Germany was 195,000 in 1939 compared with 45,000 in 1945 after the Holocaust. By 1970, there were just 30,000 Jews in Germany. However, that figure has grown to 118,000 in 2020. Even so, German Jews are elderly. In 2018, only 227 Jewish births were recorded versus 1,572 Jewish deaths — a loss of 1,345. See page 31. The trend is not good.
• The Jewish population of Poland in 1939 was 3.2 million and just 100,000 in 1945 after the Holocaust. The decline has continued. Poland now has just 5,000 Jews.

The JPR specializes in researching contemporary Jewish communities in Europe. JPR’s research aims to provide a better understanding of who Jews are and what they feel, think and do, in order to help Jewish organizations plan more efficiently and effectively for the future. JPR is also a Jewish think-tank focusing on contemporary Jewish affairs.