About 31% of the Israeli population was at risk of poverty in 2010 compared to an average of 27% 12 years ago, and 16% in the European Union, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported Wednesday.
The data, which were released ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, showed that 40% of Israeli children are at risk of poverty compared to 20% in the EU.
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In 2010, the risk of poverty in single-parent households was 43% as opposed to EU countries where the rate stood at approximately 37%.
In 2010, some 90% of households with only one adult were single-mother households. In 2000, Thirty-seven percent of these households were at poverty risk, while in 2010, the number jumped to 42%.
- Meanwhile, in the EU, between the years 2000-2010, the number of households at poverty risk dropped from 26% to 24%.
Rate of employment
The data further showed that in 2011, the rate of employment among 25-64 year olds in OECD countries was 70.8%. In Israel, the rate of employment rose from 66.9% in 2000 to 72.1% in 2011.
According to the report, Israel has one of the world's highest life expectancies ,standing at 81.7 years in 2010 – about two years more than the OECD average of 79.8.
- Over the past decade, the life expectancy of both males and females in Israel rose by 3.0 years and 2.7 years respectively.