MidEast

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Study: Israeli Arabs Have Highest Life Expectancy in Muslim World

by TheTower.org Staff |

Israeli Arabs have the highest life expectancy among 21 Islamic or Arab countries, even higher than that of wealthy Gulf States, such as Qatar and Bahrain, according to a study released this week. The study also showed that infant mortality among Israeli Arabs was lower than most of the same Islamic and Arab countries surveyed.

The study conducted by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel noted, “thus, the relative status of Arab Israelis in terms of life expectancy at birth is good when compared with that of all other Arab or Muslim populations, and is equal to that of the general United States population.”

The life expectancy for Arab-Israelis, the report noted, however, “is lower than that of Israel’s Jewish population, and falls below
the average for the 23 developed countries of the OECD, excluding the United States and Israel.”

One of the factors that contributes to the disparity between the life expectancy of Israeli Arabs and Jews are the higher infant mortality rate. The report also suggests that “a relatively high incidence of road accidents and chronic, smoking-related lower respiratory disease among Arab Israelis” may contribute to the lower life expectancy of Israeli-Arabs.

[Photo: RickP / WikiCommons]

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