Communicated by Central Bureau of Statistics Spokesman  Jerusalem, 30 December 1999 Israel's population 6.2 Million at millennium   The Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Israel's population on the eve of 2000 is 6.2 million, of which nearly 4.9 million are Jews and 1.3 million Muslims, Christians and Druze. The breakdown of Israel's population is as follows: Jews - 4.9 million, Muslims 936,000; Christians - 131,000; Druze - 101,000; religion not registered - 152,000. The "Expanded Jewish Population" (including immigrants and their children who are not registered as Jews by the census bureau) is 5.1 million, 81.5% of the country's population. These figures are based on a random survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics for the new year. At the end of the century, the combined population of Israel and the Palestinian Authority stands at approximately 9 million, the highest population ever in the country according to historians. Estimates of the area's population in history are disputed, but at the time of King David - approximately 1000 BCE - it is generally estimated at under 2 million. By about 100 CE, the population numbered between 2-3 million, and was at least half a million less by 1000 CE. Recent figures are generally more reliable. In 1900, there were about 600,000 people in the area, of which 50,000 were Jews. In 1950, the population was 2.3 million, of which the Jewish population in the State of Israel was about 1 million and the Arab population 160,000. Population projections for the 21st century show Israel's population reaching 7 million by 2006-7 and 8 million between 2013-18. By 2020, Israel's population is expected to be between 8.2 and 9 million. In 1999, there was a significant rise in the number of new immigrants - 77,000, as compared to 60,000 in 1998, a rise of 28%. Immigration caused Israel's population to grow 160,000 (2.7%) in 1999, up from 2.4% in 1998. The Arab population rose by 3.7% and the Jewish population rose by 2.4% in 1999, up from 3.4% and 2.2% respectively, in 1998. 40% of Israel's growth in 1999 was due to immigration, up from 35% in 1998, and accounted for 42% of the increase in the Jewish population.