Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Israel

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	People aged 18 and over who live and manage their lives on the streets, in open areas, public buildings, or abandoned structures, and who have difficulty taking action to change their situation.
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	4 055 individuals, representing 0.04% of the total population (2025)
	14% are women, 86% are men
	Flow count, based on the local authority data collection
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Not included: ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Israel. Social workers are required to record data on service recipients as part of case management within the Departments of Social Services, and this serves as our primary source of data.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	National Homelessness Strategy: Regulation to social workers providing services for people experiencing homelessness. Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist.
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Local authority data collection: The Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs collects information from local authorities through a questionnaire (Table 6.1).

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

People aged 18 and over who live and manage their lives on the streets, in open areas, public buildings, or abandoned structures, and who have difficulty taking action to change their situation. They often cope with some or all of the following conditions: trauma; physical neglect and physical illness; psychological distress; misuse of or addiction to psychoactive substances and/or behavioural addictions; poverty; lack of family and social support systems; and social exclusion.

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2021	3 900	0.04%	Included in headline estimate but not specified	687	281	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Not included
2025	4 055	0.04%	Included in headline estimate but not specified	746	513	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Data are comparable across years: Yes Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Note: Data only cover Israeli citizens and only represent a sample of local jurisdictions. Data exclude children under 18 years old.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025, Local authority data collection.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2025

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged 18‑29)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)1
Headline estimate of homelessness	3 778	3 474	581	269	465	117
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	93.2%	85.70%	14.30%	6.60%	11.50%	NA
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	1 083	1 057	133	46	72	70
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive. 1) The number of households figures only include adults, since children under 18 years old are excluded from the data.

Source: Ministry of Welfare data.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	National Homelessness Strategy: Regulation to social workers providing services for people experiencing homelessness.
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	Yes.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Local authority data collection
Description The Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs circulates a questionnaire on homelessness to local authorities every year. Reported data is then cross-checked with the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs’ information systems, which record information on homelessness service usage.
Type of count generated Flow (period)	Methods Service-based method
Lead authority(ies) Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs	Source(s) of information Local authorities fill out a questionnaire on homelessness service usage.
Scope National level	Depth of data Data disaggregated by: individuals making use of social services for the homeless that were registered and individuals making use of social services for the homeless that were not registered.
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Knesset_ReportStreetDwellers_2022

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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