Central Bureau of Statistics

(Source: Israel Government Year Book)

Website: http://www.cbs.gov.il/

Functions and Structure

The CBS is a government institution charged with collecting, processing, and publishing statistical data about Israel's population, society, and economy - data required by the Knesset, the Government, research and educational institutions, and the general public. The CBS operates pursuant to the Statistics Ordinance (New Version) 5732-1972, as amended by the Knesset in 1978. The ordinance requires all persons or bodies to reply to CBS inquiries, with full confidentiality of personal information guaranteed.

The CBS prepares on an ongoing basis thousands of statistical series, describing socioeconomic phenomena that involve households (Israel's population and its movements, immigration, employment, standard of living, consumption, etc.), activity in every economic sector (including industry, agriculture, construction, transport, finance, energy, etc.), as well as changes in the national accounts, international trade, and various aspects of Israel's balance of payments, the energy balance, energy consumption, and so on. The CBS also collects statistics on Judea-Samaria and the Gaza District. It has produced various basic statistical series on the territories, dealing with population, employment, wages, external trade, national accounts, and various other topics.

The Public Advisory Council for Statistics, first convened in 1963, oversees the Bureau's professional and scientific work and represents the producers and consumers of the statistics in question. The Council comprises representatives of government ministries, public bodies, and academic institutions. Its tasks include providing advice on matters involved with statistical activities in Israel and forecastng the State's long-term statistical needs.

Sources of Statistical Data

The work of the CBS is based on periodical censuses, such as population censuses (the last of which was conducted in 1983), agricultural censuses (1981), industrial and business censuses, and others. The CBS also carries out other regular surveys, either annually or every several years, such as surveys on teachers, travel habits, the elderly, household expenditures, and so on. There are also ongoing surveys. The most important of these is the labor force survey, conducted since 1958; today this is the Bureau's main household survey. In addition to censuses and surveys, data are also garnered by making extensive use of various administrative records, such as those relating to imports and exports (customs records), judicial and criminal activity (police and court records), population changes due to natural growth (births and deaths) and population movements from and to Israel and within its borders (Population Register), wage and employment data (employers' reports to the National Insurance Institute), road accidents with casualties, etc.

Information for the Public and Publications

The CBS pays particular attention to disseminating its data to the general public. It publishes the results of its wide-ranging work on a regular basis - in daily press releases and various series of statistical publications, especially the annual Israel Statistical Abstract. The Abstract collates annual statistical information on Israel's population, economy, and society, and is intended for policymakers, planners, and researchers, as well as for the general public both at home and overseas. Another publication is the Israel Statistical Monthly Review, which includes monthly, annual, and quarterly data series. The CBS also publishes periodicals, most of them monthly or quarterly, which deal specifically with prices, foreign trade, agriculture, tourism, and transport. The findings of one-time or periodic surveys are published in the aforementioned periodicals or in the Bureau's series of special publications. Other special series, such as those on Judea-Samaria and the Gaza District, and that on the population census, appear as required. In addition to distributing its publications, the CBS has developed a flexible information service that provides information and service to all inquirers in Israel and abroad, by telephone, in writing, or orally.

The Bureau's computer system permits sophisticated storage and retrieval of major series of periodical data. To date, several thousand data series have been stored in this fashion.

Population Estimates

The CBS produces population estimates on the basis of national data, as well as for specific geographical units (e.g., districts, sub-districts, localities, etc.). Sources of data on the population include the population and housing censuses, normally conducted every 10 years. Over the years, such basic data are supplemented by current information covering various aspects of the population, primarily information on natural growth (births and deaths) and migration (mainly immigration and absorption), as well as information on internal migration. Statistical population information is computerized and published according to sex, age, and population groups, by religion, family status, continent of birth, father's continent of birth, etc.

Labor Force Survey: This is intended primarily to provide current and up-to-date information on the structure of Israel's work force and changes therein, on employment and unemployment, households and their composition, housing density, and on various demographic and social parameters of individuals and households. From time to time the Labor Force Survey is supplemented by related surveys - on household income, seniority in the workplace and job mobility, number of shifts worked per month, housing conditions, household appliances, senior citizens, health-service use, kindergarten attendance, injuries caused by criminal acts, etc.