In 2022, Israel witnessed a rise in the number of deaths caused by malignant tumors and heart disease, with cancer being the top killer for both men and women. The report revealed that cancer claimed the lives of 11,650 individuals in Israel this year, with specific types of cancer varying between the sexes. Among men, trachea, bronchi, and lung cancer were most prevalent, while breast cancer was the most common among women.
In addition to this, the coronavirus epidemic emerged as the third leading cause of death in Israel from 2020-2022. The report also noted an increase in mortality rates from infectious diseases over the past decade, resulting in over 2,000 deaths each year from 2020-2022. However, there has been a significant decrease in mortality rates from ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases over the last 40 years.
The study found that gender disparities played a significant role in mortality rates in Israel. The death rate for all causes was 1.5 times higher among men compared to women in 2022. Moreover, Israel ranked eighth in mortality from all causes globally when compared with OECD countries. While mortality rates from leading causes like cancer and heart disease were lower than those seen in most OECD countries, Israel had higher mortality rates from infectious diseases. Additionally, differences were observed between men and women’s cancer mortality rates – while men had lower rates of cancer-related deaths compared to most OECD countries, women had higher rates than men.
Overall, this report sheds light on the distribution of leading causes of death in Israel and highlights trends in mortality rates and gender disparities that exist within the country’s healthcare system.