In 1939, the Jewish population in Europe was approximately 9.5 million people, representing about 57% of the world's Jewish population at the time.
Pre-War Distribution
The majority of European Jews lived in Eastern Europe, with the largest communities in Poland, the Soviet Union, and Romania. Poland alone was home to about 3 million Jews, making up 9.5% of its population. The Soviet Union had approximately 2.5 million Jews, while Romania had around 756,000. Central European countries such as Germany (525,000), Hungary (445,000), and Czechoslovakia (357,000) also had significant Jewish populations.
Regional Breakdown
Jewish communities were spread across the continent, with notable populations in Western and Southern Europe:
- France : 250,000 Jews
- United Kingdom : 300,000 Jews
- Netherlands : 156,000 Jews
- Greece : 73,000 Jews
- Yugoslavia : 68,000 Jews
- Italy : 48,000 Jews
- Belgium : 60,300 Jews
These communities contributed significantly to the cultural, economic, and intellectual life of their respective countries before the outbreak of World War II.
