The fiscal consequences of changing demographic composition: Aging and differential growth across Israel’s three major subpopulations

Abstract

Israel’s rapidly growing population comprises three major groups: Israeli Arabs; Haredim, also known as ultraorthodox Jews; and the general population, mainly composed of secular and religious Jews. Each of these has a different demographic and socioeconomic profile, including very different age structures and anticipated growth patterns. Here, we disaggregate Israel’s 2018 national NTA schedule for each of the three subpopulations. We show that as of 2018, collected tax income fell short of public expenditures by 4.9% in the general population, 56.2% in the Arab population, and 66.1% in the Haredi population. The Haredi population was almost fully reliant on public transfers to make up this difference. The low fiscal support ratios (FSRs) in Israel’s Arab and Haredi populations are a direct result of their low employment levels and low-quality employment. We forecast the fiscal consequences of two type of compositional shifts within Israel’s population up to 2050: aging and a rapid increase in the share of Haredi Jews at all ages. These forecasts point to a 12% reduction in Israel’s national fiscal support ratio by 2050, with two-thirds of this caused by aging, and the remainder by the increasing share of Haredim.