A new study by a research team at Tel Aviv University presents worrying data on the trend of emigration from Israel. According to the study, a total of 90,922 Israelis left the country in 2025 for a continuous period of at least three months. This figure is almost identical to that of 2024 (91,499) and slightly higher than the figure for 2023 (86,509).
Between 2023 and 2025, a total of 268,509 Israeli citizens left Israel for at least three consecutive months. This figure represents a record high compared to previous years. By comparison, in the same period of the previous decade (2013 to 2015), only 183,219 Israelis left the country for at least three consecutive months. The study is based on an analysis of data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.
The study was conducted by Professor Itai Ater of the Coller School of Management and head of the Forum of Economists for Democracy, Professor Netai Bergman, head of the School of Economics, and Doron Zamir, a doctoral student at the Coller School of Management. All three researchers are affiliated with Tel Aviv University.
The research team explains: “In our previous publications on emigration from Israel (February 2026), we used the indicator of a departure lasting at least twelve months. Such a value for 2025 is not yet available and will only be available at the beginning of 2027. However, in order to be able to identify emigration trends now and not have to wait until 2027, we are presenting the data based on an indicator that captures departures from Israel lasting at least three months.”
According to the researchers, there is a very high correlation between the two datasets. With a correlation coefficient of 0.96, the three-month indicator is a reliable basis for estimating the extent of emigration according to the twelve-month criterion. If this correlation persists into 2025, the scientists expect that between 45,000 and 50,000 Israelis will have left the country for at least twelve months.
In summary, the study concludes that the wave of emigration that began in 2023 will continue into 2025 and will remain at record levels.
Professor Ater adds: “In 2025, we are again seeing very worrying figures of Israelis who have left the country for an extended period. These figures follow the wave of emigration seen in 2023 and 2024. These data, in themselves, do not yet pose a threat to Israel’s resilience. However, looking ahead – and assuming this trend does not change – there is growing concern that emigration from Israel will continue to increase, thereby jeopardizing security and the Israeli economy.”
The findings indicate a significant increase in the number of Israelis leaving the country. After many years of relative stability in the migration balance, the data suggest a departure from this equilibrium. Between 2023 and 2025, nearly 270,000 Israelis left the country – roughly 90,000 per year. By comparison, the average was about 60,000 per year between 2010 and 2019.
In a previous report, the researchers had already noted a significant and worrying increase in the emigration of doctors, PhD academics, engineers, university graduates and high-income individuals.
The issue of emigration is by no means limited to Israel. Countries such as Greece, Hungary, Venezuela, Argentina, South Africa, and Lebanon have also experienced significant emigration of high-achieving segments of their populations.
Nevertheless, researchers believe that emigration from Israel could have more serious consequences than in other countries. Israel’s economy does not possess vast natural resources and relies heavily on skilled human capital, concentrated primarily in the high-tech industry and other knowledge-intensive sectors. In key economic sectors such as the high-tech industry—a significant driver of growth—healthcare, and scientific research, success often depends on a relatively small number of highly skilled professionals. Their emigration from Israel would severely impact these sectors and pose a threat to the entire Israeli economy and society.
The researchers explicitly emphasize, however, that although the increase in emigration from Israel is significant and worrying, the current number of emigrants does not yet pose a threat to the Israeli economy. The real danger lies in the fact that the previous balance has been lost and the number of emigrants could continue to rise instead of remaining at its current level.
Further negative shocks – political, economic, or security-related – could trigger feedback loops leading to a sudden and sharp increase in emigration. Each additional emigrant increases the incentive for others to leave the country as well. Once emigration figures exceed a certain threshold, reversing this trend will be extremely difficult, possibly even impossible – with serious macroeconomic consequences.
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There are more questions raised than answered ! My main questions from this article are :
1) Where are they going to – surely not New York, France or the UK ?
2) Why are they leaving ?
3) Who is leaving (any particular group) ?