More Israelis Fall Below Poverty Line

(August 30, 2006)

According to the annual poverty report released on August 30, 2006, by the National Insurance Institute (NII), 26.2% of Israelis, comprising more than 1.6 million people, were below the poverty line in 2005 - a 1.7% jump from 24.5% in 2004.

The report also found that:

• 769,000 children live below the poverty line, an increase of 55,000 from 2004 - more than 35% of the children in Israel.

• One out of four families in Israel was below the poverty line, for a total of 410,000 families.

• In families with at least four children, the poverty rate rose to 58.1% from 54.7% in 2004, while 177,000 families in which one parent earned an income were defined as poor.

• One third of public and private sector employees were below the poverty line.

The report defined “below the poverty line” as an income of less than 1,868 NIS (approximately $430) per person per month.