One-Third of Israelis at Risk of Poverty

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The CBS report, which analyzed statistics compiled in 2011, indicates a rise in the number of Israelis and Europeans who are at risk of poverty. In 2011, 31% of Israelis were at risk of poverty, up from 26% in 2001.Apart from Germany and Sweden, Israel recorded the sharpest increase in the number of citizens who are at risk of plunging into poverty when compared with the EU states, Al-Alam reported.The statistics further show that in 2011 the percentage of Israeli children who were at risk of falling below the poverty line stood at 40%, compared with a 20% average in the EU bloc.In 2005, the percentage of Israeli children who were at risk of poverty, stood at 38.3%. The sharpest rise in the number of children at risk of poverty in the EU was registered in Sweden (from 10.5% eight years ago to 14.5% in 2011).According to the CBS report, 44% of single-parent families in Israel were at risk of poverty in 2011, compared with 41% in 2001. On average, 35% of single-parent families in the EU were at risk of falling below the poverty line in 2011.The CBS report, which analyzed statistics compiled in 2011, indicates a rise in the number of Israelis and European who are at risk of poverty. In 2011, 31% of Israelis were at risk of poverty, up from 26% in 2001. Apart from Germany and Sweden, Israel recorded the sharpest increase in the number of citizens who are at risk of plunging into poverty when compared with the EU states./149