Nearly 950,000 Israelis aged 20 and older were affected by various crimes last year, according to findings from the 2024 Personal Security Survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The survey revealed that 15% of adults experienced some form of harm, ranging from sexual harassment to online offenses. The figure was even higher among the Jewish and other populations, with 17.3% reporting such incidents.
Gender gaps in security
The data revealed notable gender differences: men were more likely to experience violence or threats of violence (4.8% compared to 3.3% among women), while women were more often exposed to sexual harassment—4.2% of women reported this type of harm. Equally troubling was the low rate of reporting: 96.5% of sexual harassment victims did not report the incidents to the police, while 93.3% of victims of online crimes also failed to report.
Mental impact on victims of violent crimes
Of the victims who reported harm, 80% indicated they had been affected mentally, with 74.5% specifically reporting psychological harm. Among those who experienced sexual harassment, 56.3% reported some form of damage, and 91.3% of them stated the incidents occurred in school. Additionally, 16.2% of sexual harassment victims reported mental harm.
Growing threat of digital crimes.
Around 8.6% of the population experienced harm from online crimes. The most common offenses included theft or dissemination of personal information (52.4%) and identity theft (30.8%), highlighting the growing threat of digital harm.
In total, 243,000 households were affected by property crimes, including home or car burglaries. Among households with children, 6.8% reported harm to their children, such as cyberbullying, sexual harassment, or violence. The figure was even higher within the Jewish population, at 8.2%.
Declining sense of security, especially among women
Only 72.7% of respondents felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood after dark, with a notable gap between men and women: 80.8% of men compared to 64.7% of women. Women were also more likely to express fear of being harmed by crime or terrorism. Some 40.4% of women expressed a high fear of terrorist attacks, compared to 26.4% of men.
Security concerns in the West Bank
In the West Bank, 54.5% of residents reported a change in their sense of security, with most citing a decline (43.3%). High rates of worsening security were also reported in Tel Aviv (43.7%). In contrast, only 5.9% of all respondents reported an improvement in their sense of security.
There was also growing concern about digital vulnerabilities: 27.5% of the Jewish population feared online crime, 1.5 times the rate among the Arab population.