Israel 4th in life expectancy among OECD countries, data shows

New data recently published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regarding health in the member states of the organization and other countries around the world indicates that Israel ranked fourth in life expectancy in the latest year measured, 2023, at 83.8 years — after Japan (84.1), Switzerland (84.3) and Spain (84.0), the Health Ministry says.

Israel ranks second after Switzerland in the lowest preventable mortality rate among OECD countries, with 134 deaths per 100,000 people. This places Israel among a small group of OECD countries that are characterized by both low health spending and a lower-than-average preventable mortality rate.

According to the data, Israel, which invests 7.6% of its GDP in health, is among the countries that invest a relatively small portion of its GDP in health spending. in contrast to European countries such as Germany (12.3%), Austria and Switzerland (11.8% each), and France (11.5%).

The infant mortality rate in Israel is lower than the OECD average and stands at only 2.7 per 100,000 births, though there are gaps between different groups in the population.

The vaccination rate in Israel, in general, and against measles in particular, is similar to the OECD average over the past decade, and stands at over 90%.

The ministry says that “Israel also has health challenges that require attention,” citing the high smoking rate in Israeli society, at 16.1%, which contributes to approximately 8,000 deaths per year.

“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,” says the director of the International Relations Division at the Health Ministry, Dr. Asher Shalmon. “This is an extraordinary achievement.”