31% of Israelis at risk of poverty
CBS report paints grim picture as one third of Israel's population at risk of poverty compared with 16% in EU countries
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.
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