A new report published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Wednesday shows that life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world and ranks in fifth place for life expectancy among OECD countries - higher than Sweden and France, for example. Life expectancy in Israel currently stands at an average of 81.6 years, which is two years longer than the OECD average of 79.5 years. The report, published this week to coincide with World Health Day on April 7, finds that, between the years 1989-2009, average life expectancy for males in Israel stood at 79.7 years for men and 83.5 years for women. In terms of life expectancy among OECD countries, Israel is tied with Australia in fifth place, and surpasses countries such as Iceland, Norway, New Zealand and Canada. Japan, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain rank in the 1st through 4th spots, respectively, and the U.S. falls below the OECD average for life expectancy, at 78.2 years. An OECD global report published in November, which compared the 34 most developed countries in the world, revealed a marked increase in the average life expectancy of citizens of developed nations, which comes as a result of a steady decline in infant mortality rates. According to the report, Israel can also boast one of the world's lowest infant mortality rates - 3.8 deaths per 1,000 births. The OECD average stands at 4.4 infant deaths per 1,000 births. To put that in perspective, Afghanistan had the world's highest infant mortality rate for the same time period at 135.95, based on the United Nations Population Division. Additional statistics point to a decrease in cancer-related deaths, although cancer remains the number one cause of death in Israel. Israel's total health expenditure per capita is also reported to be among the lowest in the world. Despite these encouraging statistics, the state of Israel's health care system is far less optimistic, according to the OECD report. There are only two hospital beds per every 1,000 citizens in Israel, a rate significantly below the OECD average of 3.5 per 1,000. Israel is also lagging in its treatment of asthma and other pulmonary diseases, according to the report. The report did note, however, an Israeli improvement in the treatment of chronic diseases.
