Quality of Life Index: Kfar Saba leads, Jerusalem ranked worst
Kfar Saba, Ramat Gan and Rehovot led the quality of life index of large cities, while Jerusalem, Bat Yam and Ashdod were the lowest ranked large cities.
By TZVI JOFFREKfar Saba(photo credit: ORI~/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Kfar Saba, Ramat Gan and Rehovot have the highest quality of life among large cities in Israel and the Tel Aviv district has the highest quality of life compared to other districts, according to the 2019 Quality of Life Index released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Tuesday.Large cities are defined as cities with populations of over 100,000 people.Jerusalem, Bat Yam and Ashdod were the lowest ranked large cities in terms of quality of life, with Bat Yam and Ashdod ranking below average in 29 out of 42 life quality measurements each and Jerusalem ranking below average in 35 out of 42 life quality measurements.Kfar Saba was above average in 30 out of 42 life quality measurements, leading the country in terms of life expectancy (84.8 years), job positions that match employees' fields of study (74.5%), housing density (0.68%), satisfaction with the area of residence (95.3%), satisfaction with the housing (91.8%), satisfaction with the cleanliness of the area, satisfaction with economic situation (73.2%), Internet usage (93.8%) and the lowest rate of part-time workers who don't want to be part-time workers (0.4%).Ramat Gan led the country in terms of the percentage of waste recycled (43.1%) and the lowest percentage of feelings of discrimination in the country (18.6%). Rehovot led the country in terms of the percentage of workers who feel that their position allows for promotion (52.4%).In terms of districts, the Tel Aviv district leads the country in quality of life, leading in terms of positions that allow for promotion, a low level of infant mortality, low levels of depression, secondary education, satisfaction with local public transport, trust in the legal system, recycled waste, feelings of ability to handle issues and use of online government services.The Jerusalem district was the lowest ranked, ranking below average in 36 life quality measurements and above average in only 16 measurements.Across the country, improvements were recorded in 31 life quality parameters negative trends were recorded in 24 parameters, compared to 2018.The employment rate dropped to 61.1% in 2019, but work satisfaction grew to 90.5% and satisfaction with wages rose to 62.7%. The rate of injuries in workplace accidents grew to 1,781 per 100,000 workers.The rate of deaths in car accidents rose from 3.5 per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 4.0 in 2019. The rate of serious injuries in car accidents also rose from 24.2 per 100,000 residents to 26.7 in 2019.Meanwhile, the murder rate dropped to 1.3 out of every 100,000 residents in 2019. The life expectancy for women dropped to 84.7 years in 2019, while the life expectancy for men rose to 81 years.Cancer rates dropped among both men and women in 2019, as did the rate of residents who reported smoking.While the rate of residents killed in terrorist attacks did not change, the rate of injuries rose to 2 out of every 100,000 residents in 2019.Volunteer work in Israel rose from 15% of citizens over the age of 19 in 2002 to 23% in 2019.Satisfaction with public transportation rose to 41.3% in 2019, but was still lower than the base year of 2002 when it was 44.4%.The voting rate rose to 71.5% in 2019, but was still lower than the rate in 2002 when it was 86.9%. Trust in the government dropped to 41.2% and trust in the legal system dropped to 56.3% in 2019.The rate of feelings of discrimination dropped in 2019 to 24.9%.The quality of life index uses data collected by the CBS since the early 2000s to show trends in changes in the quality of life in Israel.Alongside the 2019 Quality of Life Index, the CBS also released a number of quality of life measurements from during the coronavirus crisis in 2020.The employment rate dropped by 2.6% to 58.2% from January to October 2020. The prolonged unemployment rate in October rose to 26.5% compared to 16.2% in January.The number of deaths in traffic accidents between January to October 2020 did fall slightly compared to the same period in 2019, with 260 deaths reported in 2020 and 285 deaths reported in 2019. On the other hand, 55.1% of Israelis over the age of 19 reported being impacted by violent behavior on roads in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 50.7% in 2019.The percentage of Israelis who reported that their health status was not good or not good at all rose from 23.5% in April to 28.6% in November.The rate of depression among Israelis 21-years-old and older also rose from 16.2% in April to 19% in November.The total death rate in Israel from March to October of this year was 10.7% higher than the rate expected for this year. Almost 21% of the people who died this year died due to the novel coronavirus.From May to November, trust in the government dropped by 22% to 47%.In November, 42.2% of Israelis estimated that their economic status had worsened and 19.7% estimated that it would worsen in the next 12 months.
