According to estimates, there are approximately 300,000 Israeli citizens living in Israel today who are not Jewish and also not members of other religions. In recent years, approximately four thousand people have converted annually in the State's courts. Approximately 95% of these converts are citizens of Israel or eligible for citizenship. Around 60% of converts are Ethiopian immigrants, 20% are from the former Soviet Union, and 20% from other countries. About 80% of those who open a conversion file complete the process. Approximately 80% of those who appear before bet din pass the interview successfully, the overwhelming majority the first time, and a minority on the second or third time. Approximately 60% of all converts are women; the proportion of female converts from the former Soviet Union is as high as 80%. The greater tendency of women to convert can be explained by the fact that according to Jewish law, the Jewishness of a child depends only on whether his mother (not his father) was Jewish. An additional factor may be that the conversion process does not require of a woman a physical act that parallels circumcision (Statistics compiled by the Rabbinical Court 2002-2003).

In addition to conversions in the civilian sector, approximately 450 soldiers convert each year in a military bet din (Statistics compiled by the Manpower Division of the IDF). There are also non-officially recognized conversions; about 100 people convert each year in the Conservative movement and 30 people in the Reform movement (Statistics compiled by the Reform and Conservative movements). In addition to the conversions that are performed in Israel, dozens of conversions performed in foreign countries each year are recognized by the Israeli rabbinate, upon request of the converts.

According to a survey of Russian immigrants, the primary motive for conversion is the desire to integrate socially (26%). Other reasons cited are: religious (13%), nationalistic (12%), and familial (12%) (A survey of the Tzomet Institute, November 2003).