Israel ranks fourth in life expectancy among OECD countries, the Israeli Health Ministry said Sunday, citing new data from the intergovernmental organization.
Japan tops the list with life expectancy of 84.1 years, followed by Switzerland 84.3, Spain with 84 and Israel at 83.8, the OECD survey found.
The report noted an increase in life expectancy in Israel from 84.8 to 85.7 years in women, and 80.7 to 81.7 years in men. This was nearly a year more than the previous survey during the COVID pandemic, despite low public investment in health in Israel, compared to many European countries.
According to the report, Israel invests 7.6 percent of its GDP in health, while in Germany the investment stands at 12.3 percent, Austria and Switzerland 11.8 percent, France 11.5 percent and Sweden 11.3 percent.
Israel ranks second after Switzerland in the lowest preventable mortality rate, with only 134 deaths per 100,000 people and is also among the countries with the lowest mortality rate from heart disease: only 49.4 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the data.
The vaccination rate in Israel is similar to the OECD average over the past decade, and stands at over 90 percent.
“Israel manages to present one of the highest life expectancies in the world, and all this with public spending on health that is significantly lower than that of most European countries, despite resource limitations,” said Dr. Asher Shalmon, the director of the International Relation Division at the Health Ministry. “This is an extraordinary achievement.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
