The National Insurance Institute publishes its 2022 Poverty and Income Inequality Report, which shows that inequality and poverty rates in Israel remain very high.
In 2022, nearly 2 million people (20.9 per cent) lived below the poverty line in Israel, of whom about 873,28 (2.152 per cent) were children and 12,7 (2021.2022 per cent) were senior citizens. The change in the definition of the poverty line, which began in <>, after COVID-<> and after the support provided to families and businesses was significantly reduced, continued in <>.
Poverty is only deepening, photo: Dudu Greenspan
While in 2021 the poverty line was NIS 2,892 per capita, in 2022 it jumped to NIS 3,076 per capita, due to an increase of 1.9% in median net income. In the State of Israel there are almost 950,<> people of working age who are poor. The National Insurance Institute emphasizes that it clearly sees in the report that allowance payments reduce poverty in Israel.
Poverty rates in Israel are among the highest among OECD countries. In general, Israel ranks second after Costa Rica, and among senior citizens it ranks high, after countries such as Japan, Australia and the United States.
More poor children
The incidence of child poverty increased in 2022 to 28.2%. In contrast, following the increase in income support for senior citizens, the incidence of poverty among them declined to 18.3 per cent.
It's hard to be self-employed in Israel: half of working families in Israel are poor. The report shows that among families headed by self-employed persons, there has been an increase in the incidence of poverty.
While in 2021 the figure was 13.1 per cent, in 2022 it has already risen to 13.8 per cent. Among rental families, the incidence of poverty also increased, from 14.4 per cent to 14.9 per cent.
National Insurance Building, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The poorest cities are still Modi'in Illit, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Be'er Sheva, and the poorest families are those who receive income support and alimony from the National Insurance Institute. Despite the National Insurance Institute's recommendation, the Knesset has not yet advanced legislation that would raise the amount of the allowance, which is considered low.
Minister of Labor, Yoav Ben-Zur: "As an inseparable part of my job, I see great importance between the combination of assistance with allowances and the provision of tools in an employment framework, and this is where I will also direct the activity of my ministry."
Eli Cohen, CEO of Pitchon Lev: "We are in the midst of a significant wave of poverty that we feel every day in the field, as evidenced by a 23% increase in assistance through food baskets every week. The report does present the 2022 data, but the sad thing is that we see direct direction of what is happening during this period as well. In both cases, it's the government's incompetence that leads people into poverty."
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