The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law. Over the 1998-2008 period GDP grew, on average, by almost 4%, compared with the OECD average of 3%. At the same time, GDP per capita growth has been below the OECD average due to rapid population growth. Population has been shaped by Jewish immigration, most notably by the influx of highly skilled people from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Population growth rate is significantly above the OECD average due to a high fertility rate: 2.9 children, compared with the OECD average of 1.6 in 2007. The 1.54 million Arab population represents 20.4% of the total population.