A Picture of the Nation 2023: Welfare

Although it has been stable or even dropped slightly over the last two decades, the level of both poverty and inequality in Israel are very high compared to those in other high-income countries. This is particularly true for families with children, and even more so for families with young children, with significant implications for the future success of those children. Social spending on social security and health increased greatly during the pandemic, but has since decreased, sometimes even below the pre-pandemic levels, with the obvious example being unemployment benefits. One important positive recent change is large increases in the levels of long-term care insurance and income support for the elderly