Wealthy earn 9 times more than poor, says survey
Total income of Israel's rich families in 2007 was 24.2% of gross income of all households, while income of poor families in lower echelon was only 2.6%, according to CBS figures
After deducting for income tax and national and health insurance, the monthly income totaled NIS 10,463 ($2,900). Compulsory payments by households represented 19.1% of the gross income.
Further figures show that wealthy families earn nine times more than poor families. The income of families located at the top echelon consisted of 24.2% of net household income, compared to the total income of 2.6% by families that are considered poor.
The average gross income of households, where the main provider is a hired worker, stood in 2007 at NIS 15,127 ($4,200). Households where the top provider was self-employed, amounted to NIS 18,262 ($5,000), while the average income for a household where the main provider was unemployed was only NIS 5,302 ($1,475).
The survey included all cities and towns, excluding kibbutzim and Bedouin communities. The study sampled over 14,000 households, some 9,000 with a main provider who was a hired worker, some 1,300 households where the head of the family was self-employed, and some 3,500 households where the main provider was unemployed.
The survey also showed that the monthly gross income of a hired worker in 2007 stood at NIS 7,622 ($2,100), an increase of 6.2% from the previous year. Some 52% of hired individuals were men, while 48% were women.
The average monthly income of a male worker was NIS 9,267 ($2,570), 56% more than his female counterpart which made NIS 5,949 ($1,600).
