World Health Organization: Life expectancy in Israel—one of the highest in the world
The report, which is based on a wide range of data on OECD member countries, shows that Israel holds a high place in various health indicators, with life expectancy and the chance of surviving heart disease, cancer and diabetes is among the highest in the world.
The WHO's report, published annually in May, includes data from all WHO member states, including life expectancy, maternal and infant mortality, child mortality, the state of sanitation, the rate of use of alcohol and drugs, the rate of vaccination administration and the chances of surviving serious diseases—an index that characterizes the level of medical services and preventive medicine.
According to the report, the average life expectancy in Israel (average between men and women) is 82.5 years, and it places Israel eighth in the world, based on data relating to population mortality in 2015. The life expectancy of men in Israel is 80.6 years, which ranks fourth in the world, after Ireland, Switzerland and Iceland. The life expectancy of women in Israel is eighth in the world and stands at 84.3 years.
In other health indices, Israel's position is high as well: the rate of vaccinations in Israel reaches 94 percent. According to updated data from the Ministry of Health, the rate of vaccination administration is even higher and ranges from 95 to 97 percent.
The rate of alcohol consumption in Israel is one of the lowest in the world. The highest concentration of alcohol consumption is in the Eastern European countries, led by Moldova, Russia and Romania. Israel is relatively low, far behind most European countries, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. At the bottom of the list are Arab countries, in accordance with the Islamic prohibition on alcohol.
Other indices that indicate the quality of medical services are the infant mortality rate up to one month after birth, the maternal mortality rate at birth and the infant mortality rate. Here, too, Israel occupies one of the lowest places on the table with an infant mortality rate of four deaths per 1,000 births per year, and five maternal deaths per 1,000 births. At the top of this list are poor countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
The World Health Organization also examined the chances of dying from serious diseases including heart attack, stroke, cancer and diabetes at the age of 30 to 70. In this index, Israel is in fifth place in the world, with a 9.3 percent risk of dying from serious diseases—only Iceland, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Sweden rank higher. The chances of dying in Israel from these diseases are much lower than in developed Western countries, including Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain, Holland, Germany and the United States.
The organization aims to reduce mortality rates by 2030, increase vaccination rates worldwide and strengthen preventive medicine, which will lead, among other things, to reducing the rate of smoking and alcohol consumption.
