Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published data showing that most of Israel's senior citizens are happy with their lives.
Israel currently has over one million senior citizens, 42% of whom are over age 75.
The number of Israelis aged over 65 years has been gradually climbing since 1948, when they represented just 4% of the population: In 2017, senior citizens represented 11.6% of the population, and in 2040, they are expected to represent 14% of Israelis, or almost two million people.
Twenty-seven percent of Jewish Israelis over age 65 were born in Israel, and 4% have fathers who were born in Israel as well.
Sixty percent of senior citizens are widows or widowers. Seventy-seven percent of senior men are married, and 10% are widowed, whereas 46% of senior women are married and 36% are widowed.
Approximately 24,000 seniors live in a home with one other person who is not a relative (usually an aide).
Jerusalem has the largest number of seniors (81.8 thousand), but Bat Yam has the highest percentage of senior citizens (21.7%). In 2017, 20.6% of seniors worked, with 28.8% of senior men and 13.9% of senior women being employed. During the academic year 2016-2017, 201 senior citizens received academic degrees, compared to 173 the previous year.
When asked about their health, 43% (38% of men and 48% of women) said their health wasn't so good or was not good at all.
However, when polled, 85% of seniors said they were happy with their lives (89% of men and 82% of women), and 22% were "very happy" with their lives.
In addition, 70% of seniors said they were happy with their financial situation, compared to 61% of Israelis aged 20-64. In 2016, senior citizens earned an average of 7,338 NIS per month, with 27.5% coming from a salary, 27.5% coming from the National Insurance Institute stipend, and 36.2% coming from a pension plan, either in Israel or abroad.