Israel ranks 4th globally in life expectancy despite low health spending

Israel ranks fourth in global life expectancy, according to the latest OECD report, despite spending significantly less on healthcare than many other developed countries.

The report, released via Israel’s Health Ministry, shows that in 2023, life expectancy in Israel reached 83.8 years, trailing only Japan (84.1), Switzerland (84.3), and Spain (84.0). Notably, the country saw a dramatic increase in life expectancy between 2022 and 2023 — from 84.8 to 85.7 years among women and 80.7 to 81.7 years among men, The Times of Israel writes. 

The Health Ministry called the leap “an extraordinary increase, that has only been observed in a limited number of countries, including the USA, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia.”

Israel also ranks second in the OECD — after Switzerland — for the lowest preventable mortality rate, at 134 deaths per 100,000 people. This comes despite Israel devoting just 7.6% of its GDP to health, far below countries like Germany (12.3%), Austria and Switzerland (11.8% each), and France (11.5%).

The infant mortality rate is also lower than the OECD average, at 2.7 per 100,000 births. The ministry attributed this to “focused investment in increasing public awareness and promoting access to genetic testing.”

Preventable mortality dropped from 170 deaths per 100,000 in 2010 to 134 in 2023 — a trend the ministry linked to improvements in public health promotion, prevention, and emergency care services. Since 2015, deaths from heart disease have also fallen, now at 49.4 per 100,000 — among the lowest in the OECD.

Vaccination rates, including against measles, stand at over 90%, matching OECD averages. However, the ministry acknowledged a global trend of declining vaccination rates and said it is taking “extensive steps to increase coverage.”

Still, health challenges persist. About 16% of Israelis are smokers, contributing to around 8,000 deaths annually. Although smoking has declined over the past decade, the drop has been slower and less consistent than in most OECD countries.

“The data from the OECD illustrate what we see every day in the Israeli health system – excellence that is achieved despite resource limitations,” said Dr. Asher Shalmon, director of the ministry’s International Relations Division. “Our health system is a source of national pride and also an engine for international health diplomacy, and we intend to preserve and strengthen these achievements for the sake of public health in Israel.”

By Sabina Mammadli