Who Pays for Israel’s Schools? 77.5% Came From General Government
The Central Bureau of Statistics put general government at 77.5% of national education expenditure in 2017, and households and donations at 22.5%.
77.5% of Israel’s national expenditure on education was financed by the general government sector in 2017, on an early estimate published by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Statistilite 169. The remaining 22.5% was financed by the private sector, which the Bureau defines as non-profit institutions serving households, households and donations. The whole bill that year was NIS 102.8 billion, 8.1% of gross domestic product, again on the Bureau’s early estimate.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77.5% | Share of national education expenditure financed by the general government sector: central government, local authorities and non-profit governmental institutions | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2017, early estimate |
| 22.5% | Share financed by the private sector: non-profit institutions serving households, households and donations | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2017, early estimate |
| NIS 102.8 billion | National expenditure on education, all financing sectors | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2017, early estimate |
| 8.1% | National expenditure on education as a share of gross domestic product | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2017, early estimate |
| 6.8% against 5.6% | Israel’s national education expenditure as a share of GDP, against the OECD average | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2015 |
| NIS 132.0 billion, 7.5% of GDP | National expenditure on education | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2022 |
| 6,664 institutions, 84 inspectors | Haredi education institutions under Ministry of Education supervision, and the inspectors supervising them | State Comptroller of Israel | School year 5779, 2018/19 |
The general government financed 77.5% of national education expenditure
The Central Bureau of Statistics reports education financing by sector rather than by body, and its general government sector combines central government, local authorities and non-profit governmental institutions in one figure. That sector financed 77.5% of national education expenditure in 2017, on the Bureau’s own national-accounts classification and on a figure the Bureau marks an early estimate. The two shares in the chart below are shares of the same NIS 102.8 billion total.
Households and donations financed the remaining 22.5%
The private sector financed 22.5% of national education expenditure in 2017, on the same Central Bureau of Statistics early estimate. The Bureau counts non-profit institutions serving households, households themselves and donations inside that single sector, so a payment by a household, a payment to a serving non-profit and a donation all sit within the 22.5% and are not published separately. The system that expenditure covers is large: the Bureau counted 830,000 children aged 0 to 7 in municipal, public and private kindergartens including day-care centres, and 314,500 students in higher education.
| Item | Count | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0 to 7 in municipal, public and private kindergartens, including day-care centres | 830,000 | Statistilite 169 |
| Kindergarten teachers in public and private kindergartens | 17,350 | Statistilite 169 |
| Students in the higher education system | 314,500 | 2017/18 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistilite 169: Education in Israel.
Education was 6.8% of GDP against the OECD’s 5.6%
The Central Bureau of Statistics published Israel’s national expenditure on education at 6.8% of GDP for 2015 against an OECD average of 5.6%, and set beside it the finding that 42.7% of Israel’s population was aged 0 to 24 against an OECD average of 29.8% in the same year. The Bureau later recorded national expenditure on education of NIS 132.0 billion in 2022, 7.5% of GDP. The three readings below carry three different years and are not one series.
| Measure | Israel | OECD average | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| National expenditure on education, share of GDP | 6.8% | 5.6% | 2015 |
| Population aged 0 to 24, share of total | 42.7% | 29.8% | 2015 |
| National expenditure on education, share of GDP | 8.1% (NIS 102.8 billion), early estimate | Not published in this release | 2017 |
| National expenditure on education, share of GDP | 7.5% (NIS 132.0 billion) | Not published in this release | 2022 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistilite 169: Education in Israel, and Israel in Figures 2023.
No release here splits school funding between state and municipalities
Neither release publishes a local-authority share of school funding. The Central Bureau of Statistics reports two financing sectors and stops there, and the boundary it draws is between public and private financing rather than between a ministry and a municipality. What follows is what the two releases do not contain:
- No separate share for central government as against local authorities. Both sit inside the 77.5%, together with non-profit governmental institutions.
- No total for payments made by parents. Household payments sit inside the 22.5%, alongside serving non-profits and donations.
- No per-pupil expenditure figure by locality, by district or by education sector.
- No breakdown of the NIS 102.8 billion or the NIS 132.0 billion by school stage.
State Comptroller counts 6,664 supervised Haredi institutions and 84 inspectors
The State Comptroller of Israel, the state audit institution reporting to the Knesset, published counts of the Ministry of Education’s supervision of Haredi education in its 2020 annual report, covering school year 5779. Those are the auditor’s own counts of institutions, pupils and inspectors, taken during an audit of the ministry, and none of them is a sum of money. On that audit, 84 inspectors supervised 6,664 institutions, and 56% of pupils in Haredi primary institutions studied the core curriculum.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| About 446,000 | Haredi pupils, about 30% of the Hebrew education system | School year 5779, 2018/19 |
| 6,664 | Institutions under supervision | School year 5779 |
| 84 | Inspectors supervising them | School year 5779 |
| 56% | Share of pupils in Haredi primary institutions studying the core curriculum | School year 5779 |
| Over 1,000 | Institutions operating without a business licence | School year 5779 |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, The Ministry of Education: Haredi Education and Its Supervision, Annual Report 70b, 2020.
Which figures here may not be added together?
The 77.5% and the 22.5% are shares of one total and sum to 100%; no other pair on this page does. The 8.1% of GDP for 2017, the 6.8% for 2015 and the 7.5% for 2022 are three separate readings by the Central Bureau of Statistics and are not a trend line. The 2017 expenditure figures are marked early estimates by the Bureau and carry that label. The over 1,000 institutions without a business licence is a floor and stays one. The State Comptroller’s institution and pupil counts belong to school year 5779 and to the Haredi sector alone, and cannot be set against a national expenditure share.
Questions readers ask
Who pays the largest share of Israel’s education bill?
The Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the general government sector financed 77.5% of national education expenditure in 2017, on an early estimate.
What does the general government sector include?
The Central Bureau of Statistics defines it as central government, local authorities and non-profit governmental institutions counted together.
How much do households pay?
The Central Bureau of Statistics published a private-sector share of 22.5% for 2017, which counts households together with non-profit institutions serving households and with donations, and publishes no separate household total.
Does the Bureau publish a municipal share of school funding?
No. The Central Bureau of Statistics reports local authorities inside the general government sector in Statistilite 169 and publishes no separate local-authority figure there.
What was total national expenditure on education?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded NIS 102.8 billion for 2017 on an early estimate, and NIS 132.0 billion for 2022.
How does Israel compare with the OECD?
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported national education expenditure of 6.8% of GDP for Israel in 2015 against an OECD average of 5.6%.
Why does the Bureau print the population age structure beside that comparison?
The Central Bureau of Statistics published, in the same release, that 42.7% of Israel’s population was aged 0 to 24 in 2015 against an OECD average of 29.8%.
How many children are in kindergartens?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counted 830,000 children aged 0 to 7 in municipal, public and private kindergartens, including day-care centres, with 17,350 kindergarten teachers in public and private kindergartens.
How many students are in higher education?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 314,500 students in the higher education system in 2017/18.
What does the state audit body publish about Haredi schools?
The State Comptroller of Israel reported 6,664 supervised institutions, 84 inspectors and about 446,000 pupils for school year 5779, its own counts taken in an audit of the Ministry of Education.
Does that audit publish funding amounts?
No. The State Comptroller of Israel published counts of institutions, pupils, inspectors and licences in that chapter, and no expenditure figure for the sector.
Is a per-pupil spending figure by locality published in these releases?
No. Neither the Central Bureau of Statistics releases cited here nor the State Comptroller chapter publishes per-pupil expenditure by locality.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019. Statistilite 169: Education in Israel. Central Bureau of Statistics, cbs.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2024. Israel in Figures 2023: Selected Data From the Statistical Abstract of Israel. cbs.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2020. The Ministry of Education: Haredi Education and Its Supervision. Annual Report 70b, chapter 210. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
