List of cities in Israel

This article lists the 78 localities in Israel that the Israeli Ministry of Interior has designated as a city council.

The list is based on the current index of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Within Israel's system of local government, an urban municipality can be granted a city council by the Interior Ministry when its population exceeds 20,000. The term "city" does not generally refer to local councils or urban agglomerations, even though a defined city often contains only a small portion of an urban area or metropolitan area's population.

List of cities

Israel cities and districts including the Israeli occupied Golan Heights

As for 2025, Israel has 18 cities with populations over 100,000, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Yafo. In all, there are 80 Israeli localities granted "municipalities" (or "city") status by the Ministry of the Interior, including four Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Two more cities, Kasif and Tila, are planned to be built in the Negev. The area and population of Jerusalem includes that of East Jerusalem which has been de facto annexed by Israel and incorporated within Jerusalem's municipal borders under the Jerusalem Law. This, however, is not recognized by the international community who regard East Jerusalem to be Palestinian territory held under Israeli occupation. If East Jerusalem is considered part of Israel, Tel Aviv is the country's second most populous city with 494,900 residents after Jerusalem with 1,050,153; if not, Tel Aviv is the most populous city, followed by West Jerusalem with 362,960.

The following table lists Israeli cities, not including the settlements, by name, district, population, area, and the Socio-Economic Index, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics:

Name Photo District Metro
area		 Founded Area
(km2)
 Population SEI
Estimate
(2024)
 Census
(2022)
 Change
(2022–
–2024)		 Density
(per
km2)
Acre North Haifa Bronze Age 18.09 52,88550,555+5% 2,923 −0.467
Afula North N/a Bronze Age 29.17 66,36260,828+9% 2,275 −0.327
Arad South N/a 1962 126.13 29,50427,586+7% 234 −0.876
Arraba North N/a Antiquity 8.4 27,17526,119+4% 3,235 −0.728
Ashdod South Gush Dan 1956 63.9 228,562227,8650% 3,577 −0.246
Ashkelon South N/a Neolithic 52.32 166,864152,370+10% 3,189 −0.135
Baqa al-Gharbiyye Haifa N/a Middle Ages 9.18 31,27529,868+5% 3,407 −0.560
Bat Yam Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1926 9.41 129,494128,152+1% 13,761 −0.219
Be'er Ya'akov Center Gush Dan 1907 9.46 37,49131,439+19% 3,963 0.783
Beersheba South Beersheba 1900 117.39 223,587217,577+3% 1,905 −0.111
Beit She'an North N/a Neolithic 10.97 20,25219,825+2% 1,846 −0.392
Beit Shemesh Jerusalem Jerusalem 1950 38.29 176,786145,554+21% 4,617 −1.485
Bnei Brak Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1924 7.35 229,996216,869+6% 31,292 −1.627
Dimona South N/a 1955 220.46 39,59037,213+6% 180 −0.387
Eilat South N/a 1951 101.49 56,00455,213+1% 552 0.151
El'ad Center Gush Dan 1998 3.49 50,84648,825+4% 14,569 −1.452
Ganei Tikva Center Gush Dan 1949 2.16 25,48823,650+8% 11,800 1.474
Giv'at Shmuel Center Gush Dan 1944 2.58 29,40527,472+7% 11,397 1.135
Givatayim Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1922 3.24 58,60158,052+1% 18,087 1.569
Hadera Haifa N/a 1891 56.28 107,974103,847+4% 1,919 0.184
Haifa Haifa Haifa Antiquity 72.93 297,082289,507+3% 4,074 0.391
Harish Haifa N/a 1982 9 41,57431,733+31% 4,619 −0.182
Herzliya Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1924 24.07 110,884105,273+5% 4,607 1.361
Hod HaSharon Center Gush Dan 1924 19.26 66,39865,020+2% 3,447 1.567
Holon Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1935 19.04 191,829192,6550% 10,075 0.371
Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem Neolithic
(Old City of Jerusalem)
mid-1800s
(New City of Jerusalem)		 125.55 1,050,1531,005,919+4% 8,364 −1.196
Kafr Qara Haifa N/a ? 7.81 21,06619,890+6% 2,697 −0.112
Kafr Qasim Center Gush Dan 19th century 9.3 27,99626,389+6% 3,010 −0.574
Karmiel North N/a 1964 22.03 47,94147,450+1% 2,176 0.020
Kfar Saba Center Gush Dan 1903 14.48 99,410100,262−1% 6,865 1.192
Kfar Yona Center Gush Dan 1932 11.51 29,82028,135+6% 2,591 0.781
Kiryat Ata Haifa Haifa 1925 24.16 62,58560,465+4% 2,590 0.090
Kiryat Bialik Haifa Haifa 1934 8.48 47,07344,806+5% 5,551 0.328
Kiryat Gat South N/a 1954 15.85 72,14063,386+14% 4,551 −0.552
Kiryat Malakhi South Gush Dan 1950 4.58 27,95926,362+6% 6,105 −0.671
Kiryat Motzkin Haifa Haifa 1934 3.84 51,48849,057+5% 13,408 0.402
Kiryat Ono Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1939 4.6 45,04941,537+8% 9,793 1.594
Kiryat Shmona North N/a 1949 14.38 24,43723,083+6% 1,699 −0.163
Kiryat Yam Haifa Haifa 1941 11.34 41,95738,906+8% 3,700 −0.247
Lod Center Gush Dan Neolithic 14.79 94,18987,430+8% 6,368 −0.738
Ma'alot-Tarshiha North N/a 1963 9.26 23,04222,720+1% 2,488 −0.057
Maghar North N/a ? 21.11 23,48622,564+4% 1,113 −0.793
Migdal HaEmek North N/a 1953 8.71 28,43027,045+5% 3,264 −0.398
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut
 Center Gush Dan 1985 48.33 100,05292,307+8% 2,070 1.420
Nahariya North Haifa 1935 13.83 67,87763,318+7% 4,908 0.143
Nazareth North N/a Bronze Age 14.17 75,70477,295−2% 5,343 −0.704
Nesher Haifa Haifa 1923 12.94 22,89622,9110% 1,769 0.564
Ness Ziona Center Gush Dan 1883 15.68 47,26747,620−1% 3,014 1.304
Netanya Center Gush Dan 1929 34.75 234,813223,920+5% 6,757 0.084
Netivot South N/a 1956 16.22 56,01945,024+24% 3,454 −0.762
Nof HaGalil North N/a 1957 32.86 45,80543,479+5% 1,394 −0.298
Ofakim South Beersheba 1955 16.35 39,89335,355+13% 2,440 −0.730
Or Akiva Haifa N/a 1951 5.55 25,92222,173+17% 4,671 −0.009
Or Yehuda Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1955 6.73 41,13036,850+12% 6,111 0.005
Petah Tikva Center Gush Dan 1878 35.77 270,403264,046+2% 7,559 0.550
Qalansawe Center Gush Dan Middle Ages 8.37 25,16723,951+5% 3,007 −0.732
Ra'anana Center Gush Dan 1922 14.86 82,96480,155+4% 5,583 1.280
Rahat South Beersheba 1972 33.48 77,99771,355+9% 2,330 −1.845
Ramat Gan Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1921 16.39 172,242165,155+4% 10,509 1.099
Ramat HaSharon Tel Aviv Gush Dan 1923 16.73 48,86048,9860% 2,921 1.699
Ramla Center Gush Dan 8th century 13.39 86,05281,126+6% 6,427 −0.399
Rehovot Center Gush Dan 1890 23.76 155,049150,471+3% 6,526 0.601
Rishon LeZion Center Gush Dan 1882 61.91 259,275252,413+3% 4,188 0.727
Rosh HaAyin Center Gush Dan 1949 15.86 79,02374,572+6% 4,983 0.781
Safed North N/a Bronze Age 29.94 38,68737,801+2% 1,292 −1.351
Sakhnin North N/a Bronze Age 11.53 33,72832,355+4% 2,925 −0.511
Sderot South N/a 1951 10.66 37,23931,108+20% 3,493 −0.132
Shefa-Amr North Haifa Bronze Age 19.63 43,85842,713+3% 2,234 −0.712
Tamra North Haifa ? 29.77 36,91835,349+4% 1,240 −0.773
Tayibe Center Gush Dan ? 18.91 46,87045,071+4% 2,479 −0.680
Tel Aviv-Yafo Tel Aviv Gush Dan Neolithic
(Jaffa)
1887
(Neve Tzedek)
1909
(Ahuzat Bayit)		 57.1 494,900492,8720% 8,667 1.293
Tiberias North N/a 20 16.19 52,12348,509+7% 3,219 −0.779
Tira Center Gush Dan ? 11.85 27,68026,567+4% 2,336 −0.275
Tirat Carmel Haifa Haifa ? 6.71 32,16729,069+11% 4,794 0.108
Umm al-Fahm Haifa N/a ? 26.03 60,20957,560+5% 2,313 −1.266
Yavne Center Gush Dan Bronze Age 29.18 58,09054,981+6% 1,991 0.514
Yehud-Monosson Center Gush Dan ? 5.73 32,14630,977+4% 5,610 0.963
Yokneam Illit North Haifa Chalcolithic
(Tel Yokneam)
1950
(modern settlement)		 8.31 24,92823,729+5% 3,000 0.795

See also

Notes

General
  1. ↑ Tel Arad, remains of the ancient town, lies west of the modern city.
  2. ↑ Tel Ashdod, remains of the ancient town, lies east of the modern city.
  3. ↑ Tel Be'er Sheva, remains of the ancient town, lies east of the modern city.
  4. ↑ Tel Beit Shemesh, remains of the ancient town, lies west of the modern city.
  5. ↑ Beneberak, remains of the ancient town, lies south of the modern city.
  6. ↑ Ono, remains of the ancient town, lies south of the modern city.
Official spellings
  1. ↑ Akko
  2. ↑ Arrabe
  3. ↑ Ashqelon
  4. ↑ Be'er Ya'aqov
  5. ↑ Be'er Sheva
  6. ↑ Bet She'an
  7. ↑ Bet Shemesh
  8. ↑ Bene Beraq
  9. ↑ Elat
  10. ↑ Ganne Tiqwa
  11. ↑ Giv'at Shemu'el
  12. ↑ Giv'atayim
  13. ↑ Herzliyya
  14. ↑ Kafar Qara
  15. ↑ Kafar Qasem
  16. ↑ Karmi'el
  17. ↑ Kefar Sava
  18. ↑ Kefar Yona
  19. ↑ Qiryat Atta
  20. ↑ Qiryat Bialik
  21. ↑ Qiryat Gat
  22. ↑ Qiryat Mal'akhi
  23. ↑ Qiryat Motzkin
  24. ↑ Qiryat Ono
  25. ↑ Qiryat Shemona
  26. ↑ Qiryat Yam
  27. ↑ Mughar
  28. ↑ Migdal HaEmeq
  29. ↑ Modi'in-Makkabbim-Re'ut
  30. ↑ Nahariyya
  31. ↑ Nes Ziyyona
  32. ↑ Ofaqim
  33. ↑ Or Aqiva
  34. ↑ Petah Tiqwa
  35. ↑ Ra'annana
  36. ↑ Rishon LeZiyyon
  37. ↑ Zefat
  38. ↑ Sederot
  39. ↑ Shefar'am
  40. ↑ Tire
  41. ↑ Tirat Karmel
  42. ↑ Yehud-Monoson
  43. ↑ Yoqne'am Illit

References

  1. ↑ "Israeli Democracy: How Does It Work?". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Localities and Population, by Municipal Status and District" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Government approves new ultra-Orthodox city in the northern Negev, addressing housing crisis". The Jerusalem Post. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Symon, Fiona (4 December 2001). "Jerusalem: Crucible of the conflict". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Background on East Jerusalem". B'Tselem. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Population of Jerusalem, by Age, Religion and Geographical Spreading (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem (Report). Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research. 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Regional Statistics (Report). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Local Authorities, in Alphabetical Order of Hebrew Names: Socio-Economic Index Value 2021, Rank and Cluster, and Variables Used in the Computation of the Index (PDF). Characterization and Classification of Geographical Units by the Socio-Economic Level of the Population (Report). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "Population Census". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2025.