New data shows persistent gaps between Jewish and Arab Israelis

Long-term unemployment—defined as joblessness exceeding six months—stood at 40.7 percent among Arabs compared to 17 percent among Jews.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Deep disparities between Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations continue, according to new figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

An analysis of 2024 data across 79 indicators spanning employment, health, education, housing, civic participation, and personal well-being found that Jews fared better in 55 indicators, Arabs in 18, with equality recorded in just five.

The findings form part of an ongoing government initiative launched under a 2015 cabinet decision to systematically track inequality between population groups in Israeli society.

Arabs and other minorities make up roughly 20 percent of Israel’s population, including Muslims, Christian Arabs, Druze, and others not classified by religion in the population registry.

The gaps were sharpest in employment and income. The employment rate among Jews stood at 63.6 percent compared to 48 percent among Arabs, a disparity the report described as representing “a gap of 25% in favor of Jews.”

Median gross income from work told a similar story: Jewish households earned NIS 21,038 ($6,791) per month, compared to NIS 13,331 ($4,303) among Arab households.

Long-term unemployment—defined as joblessness exceeding six months—stood at 40.7 percent among Arabs compared to 17 percent among Jews.

The gaps were also pronounced in civic life. Arab voter turnout in the most recent Knesset elections reached 52.3 percent, compared to 74.2 percent among Jews, while Arab civic engagement—defined as active participation in public or community affairs—was recorded at just 1.9 percent, compared to 16.4 percent among Jews.

Women in public-sector management roles illustrated another dimension of the divide: 44.1 percent among Jews versus 12 percent among Arabs, a gap the report notes widened significantly between 2023 and 2024.

Yet the data were not uniformly bleak for Arab citizens.

Arabs reported greater satisfaction with the balance between work and personal life, higher trust in the healthcare system—85.5 percent compared to 81.1 percent among Jews—and notably stronger satisfaction with schools at every level, with Arab students and parents consistently rating their educational institutions more favorably than their Jewish counterparts.

Arabs also reported lower cancer incidence rates and a greater sense of security in online environments.

The report acknowledged that the gap in mathematics matriculation eligibility—a key gateway to higher education—widened between 2015 and 2024, reaching a 36-percentage-point difference in favor of Jews by last year.