Health in Israel

rdf:langString Health in Israel

rdf:langString Health in Israel is generally considered good. Infant mortality is low. Life expectancy, 82.1 years is high. There is good management of chronic disease and excellent primary care. Expenditure on healthcare is 7.2% of Gross Domestic Product, compared with an average of 9.2% in the OECD. There are high levels of smoking among Arab Israeli men, and high levels of obesity among Arab Israeli women. The overall rate of smoking among the entire population was just under 20% in 2014. In 2003, Israel had the second highest rate of skin cancer in the world, but this has decreased substantially since then due to public health campaigns recommending avoiding the hottest time of day, discouraging sun-bathing and using sun protection such as greater clothing coverage and sunscreen. Hereditary Breast, Ovarain and Melanoma cancer rates are particularly acute in Ashkenazi Jewish populations in Israel (31.8% of Israeli Jews), in-part due to a higher-prevalence of BRCA and BRCA2 mutations (1 in 40 vs 1 in 400 in most populations worldwide) in Ashkenazi Jewish populations, which increase the likelihood of hereditary cancers.