One in seven Israelis feel poor

One in seven Israelis felt poor in the past year, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics yesterday.

The figures show that 725.3 thousand people in Israel define themselves as poor: 29% of Israeli Arabs and 12% of Israeli Jews.

The proportion of one-parent households at risk of poverty in Israel is 41%. The EU average is 36%. In Greece, the figure is 66%.

The proportion of Israeli children at risk of poverty is 39%, which compares with an EU average of 20%.

The Central Bureau of Statistics data show that one in four Israelis is in arrears in the payment of regular bills for services such as electricity, telephone, water and gas.