-Ynet News- Sept. 8, 2005 See the full report here
NII: Number of poor on the rise in Israe
The National Insurance Institute is expected to report that 100,000 more people, including 60,000 children, fell below the poverty line in 2003 compared to the previous year.
According to forecasts, it is estimated that there are 1,430,000 poor people in Israel, including 680,000 children, and that the income of poor families fell by an average of seven percent.
The largest group of poor in Israel in 2003 was the unemployed. The second largest group of poor comprised families in which at least one family head was working.
The annual report on poverty is to be presented this week to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who has held the welfare portfolio since the resignation of NRP MK Zevulun Orlev 10 days ago.
In 2002, one out of every five Israelis - 1,321,000 people - was below the poverty line. This figure included 340,000 families, or 18 percent of all families in Israel.
