The Central Bureau of Statistics has released a report on the leading causes of death in Israel from 2020 to 2022. According to the report, cancer remains the primary cause of death in Israel, followed by cardiovascular disease.
Given that the reporting period coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is also listed among the top causes of death. In 2021, COVID-19 claimed the lives of approximately 4,800 Israelis, representing 9.5% of the total deaths that year.
In 2022, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in Israel for individuals aged 65-84 and 85 years and older, and the fifth leading cause in other age categories. The number of male deaths from COVID-19 was 1.6 times higher than that of females, and Arab deaths were 1.8 times higher than Jewish deaths.
Over the past decade, deaths from infectious diseases have increased, ranking as the third most common cause of death in 2015-2019 before being replaced by COVID-19 in fourth place. Of those who died from infectious diseases, 83% died from sepsis.
Mortality from cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, has decreased by more than 80% in Israel since the 1980s.
Mortality rates for most causes are higher among Arabs than Jews. Arabs are 2.2 times more likely to die from diabetes, twice as likely to die from chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract, and 2.5 times more likely to die in road accidents. Additionally, Arab mortality rates from homicide are 8.2 times higher than those of Jews. However, Arab mortality rates from suicide are 2.1 times lower, and rates from dementia are 1.3 times lower than those of Jews.
In cancer-related deaths among men, trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer are the most common (20.1% of all cancer deaths), with Israel ranking relatively low among OECD countries in this regard. Among women, breast cancer is the most prevalent (18.4% of all cancer deaths), which is significantly higher compared to other OECD countries.
In 2022, a total of 51,753 deaths occurred in Israel, accounting for 0.5% of the total population that year. Of these deaths, 51% were male and 40% were female. Most of those who died (84%) were over 65 years old, with 67% over 75 years old and 40% over 85 years old. Additionally, 5% of those who died were under 45 years old, and 1% were children aged from birth to one year.
The mortality rate in Israel was 5.4 people per 1000 population in 2022, the same as in 2021, and slightly higher than 5.3 people per 1000 in 2020. In 2021, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mortality rate was 5.1 people per 1000 population.
