Herzliya has the best quality of life among Israel’s 18 largest cities, according to Central Bureau of Statistics reports, surpassing Kfar Saba, which was ranked first last year. Bat Yam and Jerusalem are at the bottom of the list as the two Israeli cities with the worst quality of life, while Tel Aviv and Haifa are in the middle of the table.
Quality of life ratings take into account 60 different criteria including objective criteria and subjective feelings of satisfaction related to quality of life. Examples include level of education, use of the Internet, weight of children, feelings of depression, loneliness, housing conditions and satisfaction with home, satisfaction with public transportation, green areas, satisfaction with life, satisfaction with income, cancer and illness in the family, noise pollution, and trust. In people, trust in government, drinking water quality, and much more.
As a result, the resulting ranking of cities does not resemble that obtained using precise indicators, but rather constitutes a weighting of all parameters, according to the average overall quality of life in the country.
The Israeli cities that received a high overall score in the quality of life indicators for the year 2023 are Herzliya, Kfar Saba, Ramat Gan, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, and Beit Shemesh. The cities that received an average overall score on the quality of life indicators are Haifa, Petah Tikva, Netanya, Holon, Hadera, Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv.
What do leading cities have in common?
Netanya was found to be the most exemplary Israeli city in terms of quality of life as its overall score was closest to the average. Ashkelon, Beersheba, Ashdod, Jerusalem, and Bat Yam received the lowest scores.
What do leading cities have in common? Herzliya tops most quality of life indicators, including average household income from work, lowest housing density, percentage of workers satisfied with income, satisfaction with life, feeling able to deal with problems, general trust in others, and satisfaction with the economic situation.
Kafr Saba leads in satisfaction with the residential area, percentage of eligibility for admission to high school and higher education, average life expectancy, satisfaction with parks and green spaces in residential neighborhoods, satisfaction with cleanliness in the neighborhood, and feeling appreciated by family members.
Ramat Gan leads in the percentage of employed people whose jobs match their field of study, the lowest traffic fatality rate, the lowest infant mortality rate, and life satisfaction.
Rehovot drives trust in the healthcare system, meaning the ability to influence government policy, and in the use of online government services (e-government).
Rishon Lezion has the highest drinking water quality and the lowest percentage of residents feeling discrimination.
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Kfar Saba is higher, Jerusalem is lower for quality of life
Jerusalem is at the bottom of the social and economic ranking
So what’s not so good about the quality of life in Tel Aviv? Basically the painful reality of housing. The city has the lowest percentage of affordable housing and housing spending is higher than in other cities. Also on the criteria of trust in the government and the feeling of being able to influence the actions of the government – Tel Aviv ranks low, as well as on noise pollution.
In Jerusalem, the proportion of involuntary part-time employees was higher than elsewhere, the average household income from family labor was two-thirds of the general average, and it had problems with affordable housing. Also in indicators of personal security, deaths in traffic accidents, life expectancy, etc. – the city scored poorly.
Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on January 13, 2025.
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