Obesity rates in Israel continue to soar, exacting a heavy health and economic toll. At a recent Knesset Health Committee meeting, troubling data were presented showing that nearly 60% of Israel’s adult population is overweight or obese, and one in five children suffers from obesity. The overall economic cost of obesity in Israel amounts to tens of billions of shekels per year.
Research conducted by Professor Gabi Ben Don revealed particularly severe figures among children and adolescents: one in five children aged 6 to 9 suffers from obesity, and nearly one-third of teenagers struggle with excess weight. The total economic cost of obesity to the Israeli economy stands at approximately 55.1 billion shekels annually—about 2.9% of GDP. Without systemic intervention, obesity rates among adults are expected to jump to 31.2% by 2030, with a direct cost of 34 billion shekels to the healthcare system.
The study highlights the heavy economic burden of obesity arising from direct health costs, lost workforce productivity, reduced national output, and lost years of life. Additionally, health consequences include an increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, further straining Israel’s healthcare system. Knesset members called for the formulation of a comprehensive national plan to address the obesity epidemic and develop systemic solutions.
Rise and fall of childhood obesity in Israel
Moran Bleichfeld-Magnazi, Director of the Nutrition Department at the Health Ministry, noted a 0.7% decline in overweight and obesity rates among seventh-grade children. However, while in 2011, 31.3% of this group was overweight or obese, by 2023 the figure was 30.6%. She also cited a lack of physical activity and called for increased availability of healthy food, particularly in educational settings and early childhood.
Furthermore, she emphasized the need for regulation to ensure the availability of healthy food in supermarkets.
According to her, approximately 40% of the haredi and Arab sectors cannot afford healthy food. The Health Ministry directly funds health promotion programs in 78 local and regional authorities, plus 12 clusters. Under a government decision to reduce disparities, health units have been established in over 20 Arab localities.
The desired situation, she said, is exclusive breastfeeding until six months, followed by breastfeeding with culturally adapted complementary foods until at least two years of age, since breastfeeding reduces the risk of adult obesity by 26%, and each month of breastfeeding reduces the risk of early obesity by 4%.
Efrat Laufer, Director of the Health Unit at the Education Ministry, described health promotion initiatives even in daycare centers in cooperation with parents and homemakers. She rejected Knesset members’ claims that insufficient is being done and called for the reinstatement of school nurse positions.
According to Roni Berkovitz, Director of Coach Training at the Ministry of Culture and Sports, about 130,000 children are registered in sports associations, and thousands of coaches and fitness instructors are certified annually.
Dr. Abd al-Hadi Zoabi, Director of Diabetes and Obesity Services at Clalit Health Services, said diabetes—a disease mostly caused by obesity—is a global epidemic that includes adolescents. Despite many programs, they are not budgeted and therefore not implemented. Disease complications, including amputations, mainly develop in the periphery due to a lack of diabetic foot care centers.
Committee Chair MK Yoni Mashraki said: "The state must allocate significant budgetary resources—not only as a response but as an essential step to eradicate the phenomenon and reduce the enormous economic damage it causes. The Health Committee will continue to monitor government actions and ensure they are implemented according to clear timelines."
