An ultra-Orthodox Jew takes a photo with his mobile phone while others pray at a Tel Aviv beach before emptying their pockets during the Jewish New Year ritual of Tashlich, Oct. 2, 2014. Photo: Reuters / Finbarr O’Reilly.

i24 News – A study conducted by Israel’s National Economic Council found that nearly 25% of Israelis will be ultra-Orthodox by 2050.

Israel’s total population will surge by 70% by then, according to the projections reported by Haaretz.

In the first estimate to break down expected population growth by region, the forecast will supposedly guide all government planning going forward.

Around 80% of the forecasted population will be Jews, as Arabs will account for roughly 20% of the population.

By 2050, Israel’s current population of 9.2 million is expected to grow to almost 16 million, with 3.8 million projected to be ultra-Orthodox, up from 12.6% of the population today, according to Haaretz.

The predicted growth of the ultra-Orthodox — which is the collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism — will result from the community’s birth rate of 6.7 children per woman.

Most of the ultra-Orthodox Jews are expected to remain in Jerusalem and its surrounding area, as well as in Israel’s south, where plans for a new ultra-Orthodox city are underway.

Published in August of this year, the study also claimed that the ultra-Orthodox community in northern Israel will grow even faster, but at a smaller scale, Haaretz reported.

Israel’s population growth is projected to place greater demands on the country’s housing stock, already considered to be insufficient, as well as transportation networks and the education system.