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Israel's Poverty Rate Is Among the Highest in the Developed World, New Report Shows
The National Insurance Institute report shows poverty increased across all population sectors in 2022 and that a third of Israeli households live in food insecurity – with highest rates in Israeli Arab society
A survey published on Thursday as part of Israel's National Insurance Institute's annual report on poverty and inequality shows that 30.9 percent of Israeli households suffered food insecurity due to economic straits in the past year.
The report also shows that, following the trends observed in the 2021 report, in 2022 there was a further increase in the severity of poverty in almost the entire population. According to the report, 1.98 million Israelis lived in poverty in 2022, of whom 949,000 were employed.
The survey was conducted among 1,214 participants in 2023 before the war in Gaza began. It is based on a questionnaire used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and its purpose was to assess the proportion of those suffering from food insecurity due to economic reasons in comparison to other hardships they face.The participants were presented with six statements that helped assess their situation. Examples include "The food we bought wasn't enough and we didn't have the money to buy more," and "We couldn't afford balanced meals."
According to the survey, the highest rate of those living in food insecurity – some 62.7 percent – is in Israel's Arab society, where around 40 percent of the population lives in very low food security. The survey also found a correlation between indicators of food insecurity and accessibility to healthy food.
On Wednesday, Haaretz's Hebrew edition reported that a team of experts appointed by the Welfare Ministry recommended a series of measures to reduce food insecurity due to the war, but the ministry ultimately decided not to follow them.
According to the National Insurance Institute, the rate of poverty in Israel remains one of the highest of all developed countries. Israel is ranked second after Costa Rica in terms of the number of citizens and children. Israel also ranks high when it comes to poverty rates among its senior citizens – after countries like Japan, Australia and the United States.
Nitza Kliner-Kasir, Vice Chief Executive Officer of Research and Planning at the National Insurance Institute, wrote at the beginning of the report that "The socio-economic situation in Israel is of great concern."
In a survey by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics published as part of the 2022 report, 30.5 percent of households said that they were unable to cover all monthly expenses – compared to 26.4 percent in 2021.
6.9 percent testified that they had to skip a hot meal at least once every two days due to financial difficulties, a clear increase from the 5.2 percent who said the same in 2021. In addition, 12.9 percent of respondents claimed that they felt poor in 2022, an increase of 0.9 percent from 2021.
Source: Haaretz
The National Insurance Institute report shows poverty increased across all population sectors in 2022 and that a third of Israeli households live in food insecurity – with highest rates in Israeli Arab society
A survey published on Thursday as part of Israel's National Insurance Institute's annual report on poverty and inequality shows that 30.9 percent of Israeli households suffered food insecurity due to economic straits in the past year.
The report also shows that, following the trends observed in the 2021 report, in 2022 there was a further increase in the severity of poverty in almost the entire population. According to the report, 1.98 million Israelis lived in poverty in 2022, of whom 949,000 were employed.
The survey was conducted among 1,214 participants in 2023 before the war in Gaza began. It is based on a questionnaire used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and its purpose was to assess the proportion of those suffering from food insecurity due to economic reasons in comparison to other hardships they face.The participants were presented with six statements that helped assess their situation. Examples include "The food we bought wasn't enough and we didn't have the money to buy more," and "We couldn't afford balanced meals."
According to the survey, the highest rate of those living in food insecurity – some 62.7 percent – is in Israel's Arab society, where around 40 percent of the population lives in very low food security. The survey also found a correlation between indicators of food insecurity and accessibility to healthy food.
On Wednesday, Haaretz's Hebrew edition reported that a team of experts appointed by the Welfare Ministry recommended a series of measures to reduce food insecurity due to the war, but the ministry ultimately decided not to follow them.
According to the National Insurance Institute, the rate of poverty in Israel remains one of the highest of all developed countries. Israel is ranked second after Costa Rica in terms of the number of citizens and children. Israel also ranks high when it comes to poverty rates among its senior citizens – after countries like Japan, Australia and the United States.
Nitza Kliner-Kasir, Vice Chief Executive Officer of Research and Planning at the National Insurance Institute, wrote at the beginning of the report that "The socio-economic situation in Israel is of great concern."
In a survey by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics published as part of the 2022 report, 30.5 percent of households said that they were unable to cover all monthly expenses – compared to 26.4 percent in 2021.
6.9 percent testified that they had to skip a hot meal at least once every two days due to financial difficulties, a clear increase from the 5.2 percent who said the same in 2021. In addition, 12.9 percent of respondents claimed that they felt poor in 2022, an increase of 0.9 percent from 2021.
Source: Haaretz