The Elderly in Israel – The 2002 Statistical Abstract

How many elderly people live in Dimona? How many people age 65 and over still participate in the labor force, and how many of them are eligible for a pension? How many elderly people reside in institutions, and what are their characteristics? How many elderly people have a computer in their home, and how many of them are living below the poverty line? You’ll find the answers to these and many other questions in the 2002 Statistical Abstract, which contains information relevant to Israel’s elderly population.

This is the fifth year of the Abstract’s publication. Since it was first published in 1998, the Abstract has become a key, highly valued tool for planners and policymakers, statisticians, researchers, and students.

Like its predecessors, the 2002 Statistical Abstract presents data on the characteristics of the elderly population, with attention to demographic and geographic aspects; on health characteristics such as mortality, morbidity, the incidence of illness and disability, and use of selected health services; on socio-economic factors such as education, employment, and financial status; on the system of community and institutional services for the elderly; and on the elderly population in light of an international comparison. In this Abstract we have updated the ongoing data, added data on health, and expanded the data on the system of services. This year, we have given special attention to the data on poverty, and on the economic situation of the elderly. We have expanded the Tables on the income and expenditures of households of the elderly; added historical data on the number of elderly eligible for a pension; update the data on poverty in households of the elderly and on elderly who receive income maintenance benefits; and added new data on poverty among the elderly, in general, and by living arrangement.

In presenting the data, an attempt has been made to identify trends and changes over time and, to the extent possible, to identify differences and gaps among population groups and among geographic regions. The data provide an essential information base for planning, as well as for a discussion of needs and solutions, and the gaps among these population groups.

Publication of the Statistical Abstract was made possible thanks to close cooperation with the Central Bureau of Statistics and the ministries and organizations that serve the elderly. We hope to continue to update, expand and develop the Abstract and publish it annually, so that it may continue to serve policymakers and service planners, as well as those involved in study and research. We also hope it will help improve the level of services for the elderly, thereby improving their quality of life.

The 2002 Statistical Abstract is published by MASHAV – a national data base for planning in gerontology, which is managed jointly by the JDC-Brookdale Institute and ESHEL – The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged.