Since 1951, the Claims Conference has committed to securing justice for Jewish Holocaust survivors. Through our negotiations with the German and Austrian governments, we have achieved and administered several compensation programs that provide direct payments to survivors globally, grants to over 300 social service agencies, and vital services such as home care, food, medicine, transportation, and socialization. The facilitation of these programs, funding, and services has culminated in a unique global database of Jewish Holocaust survivors. The database served as the foundation for the Global Demographic Report on Jewish Holocaust Survivors, summarizing data on survivors’ demographic composition worldwide of those known by the Claims Conference, including country of birth, current residence, age, sex, and the percentage receiving various compensations and services.
The Global Demographic Report on Jewish Holocaust Survivors key findings include:
- There are an estimated 245,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors globally, living across more than 90 countries.
- Nearly half (49 percent) of all survivors reside in Israel; 18 percent reside in Western Europe and 18 percent reside in North America, with 16 percent of all survivors worldwide residing in the United States. Approximately 12 percent reside in countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU).
- The median age of Jewish Holocaust survivors is 86. The population of survivors at the time of this report ranges in age from 77 to over 100 years of age and are born between 1912 and 1946.
- The majority of Jewish Holocaust survivors (95 percent) are “child survivors” who were born between 1928 and 1946.
- 20 percent of Jewish Holocaust survivors are over the age of 90. This is a period of life characterized by an increased need for care and services.
- The majority of Jewish Holocaust survivors are female (61 percent), and only 39 percent of the population are male.
- Nearly 40 percent of survivors receive monthly payments through Claims Conference programs negotiated with Germany, while the remaining population are eligible for one-time or annual payments.
- Forty percent of survivors currently receive or have received, in the past year, social welfare services provided by over 300 agencies that receive grants administered by the Claims Conference. Services include homecare, food, medicine, transportation socialization and other services specific to the individual needs of survivors (Of course, these survivors are entitled to compensation as well).
