Israel's population has grown to over 7.3 million people, the country's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said in figures published Wednesday ahead of the Jewish New Year.

Of those, more than 5.5 million (75.5 per cent) are Jews, while just under 1.5 million are Arabs, who make up 20 per cent of the total population.

The remaining 318,000 "other" inhabitants are neither Jewish nor Arab and include new immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are not officially registered as Jews.

Some 67 per cent of the population today are Israeli-born, compared to just 35 per cent when Israel was founded in 1948, and the large majority were immigrants.

Israel's population is relatively young compared to other developed countries.

Over 28 per cent are children aged 14 or younger, compared to an average of 17 per cent in Western countries.

Those aged 65 or older make up less than 10 per cent of the population, compared to some 15 per cent on average in Western countries.

The CBS published its annual statistical review ahead of the start on Monday of the new Hebrew calendar year 5769.