If you want to live a long, healthy life in Israel, live in Ra'anana, a study by the Central Bureau of Statistics released Thursday said. Residents of Ra'anana live to the ripe old age of 85.5 years on average, with residents of Maccabim-Re'ut in second place at 84.1 years, and residents of Beit Shemesh in third place, with a life span of 83 years of age on average.
The study examined the quality of life and life expectancy between 2005 and 2009 in 27 cities in Israel that have at least 50,000 residents.
The study showed sharp differences in the life expectancy of Israelis in the Jewish and Arab sector, as well as between residents of the center of the country, and Israelis who live in the periphery. The city with the lowest life expectancy is the Bedouin town of Rahat, where people live on average for 77.1 years – a full eight and a half years less than Ra'anana residents. Next to last is Nazareth, another large Arab city, where residents live on average for 77.9 years. The next two are the mixed towns of Ramle and Lod, with life expectancies of 78.2 and 78.6 respectively.
Among the 15 cities in Israel with at least 100,000 residents, Ramat Gan scored highest in life expectancy; residents there can expect to live for 82.6 years. The worst-performing among the large cities was Be'ersheva, where residents can expect to live 79.8 years on average.
Overall, the average life expectancy in Israel stands at 80.8 years, an increase of two years over last time a life expectancy study was conducted, covering the years 1998-2002.