Israeli teachers found to be the best in the world - study
The OECD's Education at a Glance 2026 report shows that the salaries of Israeli elementary school teachers fell to 73% of the earnings of other professionals with higher education, while the OECD average rose to 87%. The gap widened from 14% to 27%, placing Israel fifth from the bottom among 26 countries. Meanwhile, the proportion of teachers leaving the profession in Israel was only 2.5% compared to 6.4% on average across the OECD.
The OECD's Education at a Glance 2026 report, published this week, revealed a paradoxical situation in Israeli education. On one hand, the salaries of elementary school teachers in Israel in 2023 were only 73% of the earnings of other professionals with higher education — significantly below the OECD average of 87%. The gap between Israeli teachers and other workers with higher education grew from 14% to 27%, placing Israel fifth from the bottom among 26 countries. One reason cited is the high incomes of workers in Israel's high-tech sector. On the other hand, the proportion of teachers leaving the profession in Israel remains record low: 2.5% in the 2024/25 school year compared to 6.4% on average across the OECD. Israel entered the top five countries with the lowest teacher attrition rates — for comparison, in Latvia this figure is 12%, and in Denmark 14.5%. These data are likely to become a key argument in negotiations over a new collective agreement for teachers.