Did you know?
| indicator | value | unit |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8.4 | mil. |
| Visitors per year | 3.5 | mil. |
| Renewable energy | 4.88 | % |
How’s Life?
Israel performs well across a number of well-being dimensions relative to other countries in the Better Life Index. Israel outperforms the average in health, social connections and life satisfaction. It underperforms average in , environmental quality. These assessments are based on available selected data.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Israel, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is less than the OECD average of USD 30 490 a year.
In terms of employment, about 67% of people aged 15 to 64 in Israel have a paid job, slightly above the OECD employment average of 66%. Some 69% of men are in paid work, compared with 65% of women. In Israel, 14% of employees work very long hours in paid work, above the OECD average of 10%, with 22% of men working very long hours in paid work compared with 7% of women.
Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In Israel, 88% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, higher than the OECD average of 79%. However, completion varies between men and women, as 87% of men have successfully completed high school compared with 89% of women. In terms of the quality of the education system, the average student scored 465 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is lower than the OECD average of 488. On average in Israel, girls outperformed boys by 26 points, well above the average OECD gap of 5 points.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Israel is around 83 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 81 years. Life expectancy for women is 85 years, compared with 81 for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 19.7 micrograms per cubic meter, above the OECD average of 14 micrograms per cubic meter. In Israel, 77% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, lower than the OECD average of 84%.
Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community and moderate levels of civic participation in Israel, where 95% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, more than the OECD average of 91%. Voter turnout, a measure of citizens' participation in the political process, was 67% during recent elections, lower than the OECD average of 69%. Social and economic status can affect voting rates; voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is an estimated 70% and for the bottom 20% it is an estimated 62%.
When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Israelis gave it a 7.2 grade on average, higher than the OECD average of 6.7.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
Topics
OECD in Action
OECD Economic Surveys: Israel
OECD's periodic reviews of Israel's economy. Each survey examines recent economic developments, policy, and prospects, and presents a series of recommendations.
Read this report