Historical Jewish population

Jewish population centers have shifted tremendously over time, due in modern times to large scale population movements, and in earlier times due to a combination of population movements, religious conversions and assimilation. Population movements have been caused by both push and pull factors, with the most notable push factors being expulsions and persecutions, in particular the pogroms in the Russian Empire and the Holocaust.

The 20th century saw a large shift in Jewish populations, particularly the large-scale migration to the Americas and Palestine (later Israel). The independence of Israel sparked mass exodus of Jews from Arab and Muslim countries. Today, the majority of the world's Jewish population is concentrated in Israel and the United States.^[1]