Compared to other major cities in Israel, Tel Aviv has the least percentage of children 17 and under. In a recent report published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Modiin Illit, an Orthodox town, has the highest percentage of youth at 64%, versus Tel Aviv whose population is only made up of 21%.
Living in Tel Aviv, one may never realize this drastic difference. For the most popular urban spot in Israel, Tel Aviv is bursting with active young children at every corner. There does seem to be two parental schools of thought when it comes to raising children in Tel Aviv; however the deciding factor might be more financial than holistic. Tel Aviv, being the ninth most expensive city in the world, is a large burden with larger families, a reason why many families move out of the center.
There are currently about 2.9 million children up to the age of 17 living in Israel, which means about a third of the country is youth. About 32% are from the Jewish population and 40% from the Arab population. About 89% of children up to age 17 live with both parents, while the remaining 11% typically live with a single parent, 90% of the time being their mother.
In terms of the education system, about 83% of high school students earn their diploma. The Orthodox educational system, which often doesn’t offer such a degree, means only 36% of students graduate earning their high school diploma. When comparing genders, girls earned only a slightly larger percentage, from 82% to 78%. The report also shows that teenage boys drop out more than teenage girls, and do so at a rate of 3.5% compared to girls at 1.4%.
The report was published in honor of Universal Children’s Day, a global declaration by the United Nations in 1954 in order to promote the wellbeing of the future generations across the world.
