One in seven Israelis felt poor in the past year, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics yesterday. The figures show that 725.3 thousand people in Israel define themselves as poor: 29% of Israeli Arabs and 12% of Israeli Jews.
According to the figures, poverty continues to be more widespread in Israel than the norm in developed countries. The proportion of the population defined as at risk of poverty is 30% in Israel, which compares with an average of 17% in the countries of the European Union (EU). The proportion of one-parent households at risk of poverty in Israel is 41%. The EU average is 36%. In Greece, the figure is 66%. The proportion of Israeli children at risk of poverty is 39%, which compares with an EU average of 20%.
The Central Bureau of Statistics data show that one in four Israelis is in arrears in the payment of regular bills for services such as electricity, telephone, water and gas. Especially high rates of arrears were found in Jerusalem (37%) and Bnei Brak (30%). In wealthier cities such as Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion the rate was 12%.
At the same time, the rise in the proportion of female Arab students at institutes of higher education continues. Central Bureau of Statistics figures show that that the proportion of women among Arab students is higher than the proportion of women students in other populations. In 2000, the proportion of women among Arab students was 61.6%, and by 2012 this proportion rose to 67.9%. The trend is more pronounced among Muslim and Druze Arabs than among Christian Arabs. The proportion of women among Jewish students is 55.8%. 30.7% of Arab women students study education or are in teacher training, compared with 15.7% of Jewish women students.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 22, 2014
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