Jerusalem, 9 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Israeli Health Ministry’s 2023 Health Equity Report, released Monday, highlighted wide gaps in health outcomes and services between different population groups and regions, with the war driving a sharp drop in life expectancy—especially among Jewish men.
“Inequality in health services remains a significant challenge, affecting the lives of many citizens,” said Health Minister Uriel Bosso.” Reducing health inequalities is a national value of the highest order.”
According to the report, the national average life expectancy in 2023 was 83.8 years. However, after accounting for war casualties, the figure dropped to 83.3 years—a reduction of nearly one year for Jewish men.
“The war that began in the last quarter of 2023 led to a decrease of 11 months in life expectancy for Jewish men and four months for Jewish women,” the report said.
Despite the toll of war, life expectancy showed an overall upward trend compared to pre-COVID levels, with the adjusted average still higher than the 2019 figure of 82.9 years. Among demographic groups, Jewish and other women had the highest life expectancy at 85.8 years, while Arab men had the lowest at 78.2.
Regional disparities were also significant. The North, South, and Haifa districts all reported life expectancies below the national average between 2021 and 2023. The Judea and Samaria district recorded the highest at 84.4 years, followed by the Central district at 84.2. The lowest figures were in the South (81.6) and North (81.9), which the report attributes in part to differences in population composition.
Infant mortality figures also underscore persistent inequalities. While the national rate stood at 2.7 deaths per 1,000 live births — better than the OECD average of 3.7 — the disparity between Jewish and Arab populations remained stark. Among Jews, the rate was 1.9 per 1,000, compared to 5.2 among Arabs. The gap was most severe in the Southern district, where Arab infant mortality was four times higher than that of Jews.
Health infrastructure continues to lag behind international standards. As of December 2023, Israel had just 1.716 general hospital beds per 1,000 people, far below the 2022 OECD average of 3.81. This shortfall is even more acute in the periphery, where residents face limited access to hospital beds, oncology treatments, and rehabilitation services.
“Sixty percent of oncology treatments in Israel are concentrated in four large hospitals in the center,” the report said, forcing patients in peripheral areas to travel long distances for care.
