According to a recent report published by the Israel Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem’s socio-economic rating has only fallen in recent years. Among 255 cities, towns and local councils, Israel’s capital ranks toward the bottom, at number 206. The wealthiest towns are Savion and Kfar Shmaryhahu, while Tel Aviv ranks 34th and Haifa comes in at number 85.
Jerusalem is also Israel’s largest city, with almost 900,000 inhabitants, 500,000 of whom are Jews and 400,000 Arabs. According to the Jerusalem Institute for Political Research, every second Jerusalemite lives beneath the poverty line. Every fourth Jewish child in Jerusalem and no less than 86 percent of all Arab children in the city are regarded as poor. The overriding poverty in Jerusalem can be attributed to the fact that only 66 percent of the city’s working-age residents actually work, as opposed to over 90 percent in Tel Aviv. In Jerusalem, 77 percent of men and only 58 percent of women are employed. In Tel Aviv, the difference is just five percent.
The large number of Orthodox Jews and the Arab population in the eastern part of the city are the...
Become a Member
-
Read all member content
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel.
-
Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel
Connect with Israel, right from your home.
-
Lift up the voice of truth and hope
Support Jerusalem-based Zionist journalism.
Already a member? Login here.
