Israeli settlers ride a donkey during a Sukkot holiday celebration in Hebron, West Bank, September 27, 2010. Rabbi Meir Porush, Deputy Education Minister, laid blocks for a new kindergarten in the Avraham Avinu Settlement after the settlement moratorium expired yesterday. UPI/Debbie Hill | License Photo

JERUSALEM, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Israeli men and women are living as long or longer than their counterparts in other democracies, data released Wednesday by the Health Ministry indicates.

The report said the lifespan of the average Israeli woman in 2009 was 83.5 years, an increase of 2.6 years over 2000, The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.


The lifespan of the average Israeli male went from 76.7years in 2000 to 79.7 in 2009.

In addition to calculating lifespan, the report compared Israel's health system with those of other democracies belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development based in France.

Infant mortality rates in Israel were similar to those in other OECD countries at 3.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, the report said.

Separating Jewish and Muslim births, the mortality rate was 2.7 for Jews and 7.6 for Muslims.

The report said in 2000, the infant mortality rate for Muslims was four times higher than it is currently.