Israel is facing a “tsunami” of emigration from the country, warned Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee Chair MK Gilad Kariv (Democrats) on Monday, following the publication of a new study from Tel Aviv University showing that over 90,000 Israelis left the country in 2025 for three or more consecutive months.
The study, based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, found that the number of Israelis who have left the country since 2023 for three or more months is significantly higher than it was a decade ago.
According to the study, a total of 268,930 Israelis left Israel in 2023 (86,509), 2024 (91,499), and 2025 (90,922). For comparison, the study showed that during the same period in 2013, 2014, and 2015, only 83,219 citizens left Israel.
“Since I took office, I have warned: Israel is facing a tsunami of emigration from the country, and the government is doing nothing about it,” Kariv said. “We have demanded time and again during the discussions we convened that a person be appointed to comprehensively deal with the phenomenon.”
“We have implored government representatives to present a multi-year plan to reverse the trend. But apparently, from the perspective of this fanatical coalition, this is a blessing.”
Global antisemitism is spurring some immigration to Israel, but more people left the country in the past two years than arrived. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)“The study published today confirms the dangerous trend: 90,000 Israelis left the country in the past year. Many of them are doctors, engineers and academics,” Kariv continued, adding that “this is a strategic threat to the future of Israel, and is closely linked to the government's conduct and the coup d'état.”
“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's dismissive attitude towards the phenomenon from the Knesset stage is well remembered. This disdain characterizes the promiscuous, anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli conduct of the current government,” he stated.
He called on any Israelis who have left the country to return to vote in the upcoming elections.
“To all the Israelis who left the country,” he said. “The fix is on the way. And we need you with us to bring it.”
Topic of migration renewed post-Oct. 7
However, since an index of departure for a period of 12 months or more for 2025 is not yet available and will only be available in 2027, researchers used an index for three or more months, as the correlation between the two indices is very high (0.96).
According to this, researchers have estimated that between 45,000 and 50,000 citizens will have left Israel in 2025 for a year or more.
The study explained that public discourse surrounding the topic of the migration of Israelis was renewed during elections in November 2022, the judicial reform protests, and then once again after the October 7 massacre.
It stressed the importance of having up-to-date data on the characteristics of migration so the public and the government can understand the scope of the situation and its implications for the Israeli economy and society.
Mass migration from Israel could lead to serious consequences
Unlike most countries, mass emigration from Israel could lead to “difficult and serious consequences” as its economy is based largely on those in the high-tech industry, advanced medical services, and academia.
The emigration of people who work in these fields would serve a “severe blow” to the industries and pose a danger to Israel’s economy.
"Even in 2025, we see very disturbing numbers of Israelis who left the country for a significant period of time, and these are added to the wave of immigration in 2023 and 2024,” explained study co-author Prof. Itai Ater of the Kohler Faculty of Management and head of the Economists for Democracy Forum.
“These figures in themselves do not yet pose a risk to Israel's resilience,” Ater said.
“However, looking ahead, and if there is no change, there is a growing concern that immigration from Israel will increase in a way that will endanger security and the Israeli economy," he added.
The study was conducted by Prof. Itai Ater of the Kohler Faculty of Management and head of the Economists for Democracy Forum, Prof. Netai Bergman, head of the School of Economics, and Doron Zamir, a doctoral student in the Kohler Faculty of Management, all at Tel Aviv University.
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