A new State Comptroller report says Israel’s health system is still not prepared for the country’s rapid demographic aging, despite the government identifying it as a strategic challenge a decade ago. Comptroller Matanyahu Englman says the system lacks enough geriatric infrastructure and staff, and that there is still no organized government plan for older adults.
According to the report, Israel now has about 1.3 million residents aged 65 and older, roughly 13% of the population. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to about 2 million, or 15%. Life expectancy continues to climb, to 81.4 years for men and 85.5 for women. Although Israel is still considered a relatively “young” country compared with the OECD average of 18.5% elderly, the report says it will add about 700,000 senior citizens within roughly 25 years, sharply increasing demand for geriatric services.
The supply of care is moving in the opposite direction. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of geriatric hospitalization beds per target population fell 16%, from 65 beds to 55 per 1,000 people age 75 and over. The report also says the number of geriatric doctors barely changed between 2020 and 2024. In 2024, there were 0.86 geriatricians per 1,000 people aged 65 to 75, and 1.05 per 1,000 people aged 75 and older.
Englman said that despite government decisions made as far back as 2015, the relevant ministries, including the Health Ministry, have still not produced a coordinated, long-term system-wide response. “They are not prepared for population aging,” he said. He also pointed to management and coordination failures, saying no single body currently leads aging policy even though the issue requires joint work by the Health Ministry, health funds, the Welfare Ministry and National Insurance. The report says 90% of the public and government bodies involved believe information sharing is inadequate, which hurts planning and service adaptation. The comptroller recommends a multi-year national plan with measurable goals, clear division of responsibilities, and better long-term planning capacity.
