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Long-term departures from Israel accelerated as highly educated citizens left
A Tel Aviv University study found that the number of Israeli citizens who stayed abroad for at least three months between 2023 and 2025 rose to 268,509. Doctors, engineers, academics and technology workers were prominent among those who left.
Long-term departures by Israeli citizens increased markedly between 2023 and 2025. A Tel Aviv University study based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics found that the total number of people who stayed outside the country for at least three months during this period reached 268,509.
In the comparable three-year period a decade earlier, the figure was 183,219. Annual data showed that 86,509 Israeli citizens stayed abroad for at least three months in 2023, followed by 91,499 in 2024 and 90,922 in 2025.
An early indicator as official migration data remain pending
Because Israel’s official 12-month migration data for 2025 will not be released until 2027, researchers used stays abroad lasting more than three months as an early indicator. The study estimated that the number of Israelis who stayed abroad for at least one year in 2025 could have been between 45,000 and 50,000.
Statistics presented to a Knesset committee in June also showed that Israel’s migration balance was negative between 2022 and 2024. According to Central Bureau of Statistics data, the migration balance declined by approximately 140,000 people over the three-year period.
Doctors and technology workers were prominent among those leaving
The educational profile of Israelis who left the country pointed to a higher level of education than that of the general population. In 2022, among Israeli emigrants aged 25 to 64, the share with bachelor’s degrees was 1.5 times that of the general population, the share with master’s degrees was twice as high, and the share with doctorates was 4.6 times higher.
A total of 530 doctors left Israel in 2024. Two-thirds of these doctors had received their training in Israel, while the number of doctors returning to the country also declined. A study by the Israel Tax Authority showed that emigration among wealthy Israelis increased markedly in 2023 and 2024; doctors, engineers and other highly educated professionals accounted for a disproportionately large share of this group.
The average annual income of emigrants in the years before they left the country rose in real terms from approximately 125,000 shekels in 2015–2019 to about 200,000 shekels in 2024.
Long-term risk for the economy and public services
Ori Goldberg, an independent Israeli political commentator and former university professor, said the growing trend of departures pointed to a loss of stability in Israel. Goldberg said those leaving were seeking functioning public services, confidence that public institutions would operate adequately and stability; a significant proportion of them hold relatively liberal views.
Goldberg said the departure of professionals posed a real risk to the health, research and technology sectors. He noted that the rate at which doctors returned after going abroad for specialist training had fallen, while technology workers were more flexible about moving to other countries.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University said current migration levels did not by themselves threaten the resilience of Israel’s economy, but could have long-term consequences if the increase became permanent. They warned that continued emigration could create risks in sectors such as technology, health and academia that depend on a limited number of highly qualified workers, and that departures could encourage further departures.
Departures accelerated after October 2023
Goldberg said the acceleration in emigration could not be considered separately from developments after October 2023. He said the war Israel launched in Gaza after the Hamas attack, along with the security crisis, political developments and social polarization, had affected Israeli society.
Tel Aviv University researchers said public concern over emigration had increased following the November 2022 elections and debates over the government’s judicial reforms, and had intensified further after October 2023. Goldberg argued that deepening political divisions alongside the strengthening of a security-focused approach could turn the trend into more than a temporary wave.
How long stays abroad affect ties
Research by migration and demography expert Lilach Lev Ari on Israelis living in the United States found that those who stayed abroad for extended periods could experience changes in their relationship with Israel. Family ties, digital communication and visits helped preserve structural ties with Israel, while emotional distance could increase among those living abroad for long periods.
Goldberg said the current departures could be part of a longer-term demographic and economic transformation rather than merely a short-term response to a single crisis.
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