JERUSALEM

Around two million Israelis currently live in poverty, among them 870,000 children, according to official figures.

A report by the National Insurance Institute showed that nearly 150,000 retirees live under the poverty line, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

The poverty rate among the Arab population and ultra-Orthodox Jews remained unchanged at around 39%, the report said.

According to the report, the poverty line in 2023 sat at 3,100 shekels ($835) for individuals, up from 2,900 shekels ($781) in 2022.

“Israel's poverty rates are among the highest compared to developed countries, particularly among children,” KAN commented.

The report showed that the poverty rate for households supported by a self-employed worker rose from 13.1% in 2022 to 13.8% in 2023.

Similarly, poverty among households supported by a wage earner rose from 14.4% in 2022 to 14.9% in 2023.

The child poverty rate also increased from 28% in 2022 to 28.2% in 2023, while it dropped among the elderly from 15% in 2022 to 12.7% in 2023.

Israel’s population reached 9.7 million by the end of 2022, according to the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

*Writing by Mohammad Sio