In 1948, the year of Israel's formation, Nahariya had a population of 1,700. It became a development town in the 1950s after a ma'abara established nearby was integrated. The town hence became a home to many Jewish refugees from North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It had a population of 9,800 in 1955, which had increased to 23,800 in 1972. During the 1990s, the city absorbed a significant number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nahariya experienced a construction boom.