JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (NNN-MA’AN) – The National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII), said that, about 30 percent of Israeli children, up to the age of 18, or 841,700, live in poverty.
In addition, about 21.2 percent of the Israeli population live in poverty, while 469,400 households, or 18 percent live in poverty, according to an annual report released by NII.
The incidence of poverty among elderly-headed households (women over 60 and men over 65) is 23.4 percent, while the incidence of poverty among elderly people is 18.8 percent.
In addition, the Gini index, which measures income inequality by disposable income, increased by 1.1 percent after many years of decrease.
However, the condition of the Israeli poor population has improved, with the indicators of poverty depth and severity falling by 4.9 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.
There were huge poverty gaps between Jewish and Arab children. While a fifth of Jewish children lived beneath the poverty line, two-thirds of non-Jewish children did so.
The rate of impoverished Arab families with children rose from 52.8 percent in 2000 to 65.6 percent in 2015. In addition, 61.8 percent of ultra-Orthodox children lived in poverty in 2015 – triple the rate for other Jewish children.
The report also shows a decrease in the poverty rate among Jewish immigrants living in Israel, but a widening gap between men and women.
Notably, the growth of the Israeli economy and the increase in employment and wages led to an increase in the standard of living, which increased the disposable financial income per capita and the poverty line derived from it, according to the authors of the report.– NNN-MA’AN