Israel

Despite strong economic growth and low unemployment, poverty rates in Israel remain among the highest of developed countries. With a fifth of families and a third of children living below the poverty line, Israel also ranks high in terms of income inequality and poverty depth. As in other countries, poverty in Israel is associated with many difficulties, including health challenges, depression, anxiety, and food and housing insecurity. Certain populations in Israel are at a higher risk of poverty than others, reflecting the state’s complex sociocultural milieu. For example, a highly disproportionate number of the state’s Palestinian citizens and ultraorthodox Jews live in poverty. In addition, Israeli women are more likely to suffer from poverty than Israeli men. Likewise, Jews of Mizrahi decent and immigrant families ...