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1,370 doctors leave Israel as healthcare staffing shortage grows
At least 1,370 doctors left Israel between 2023 and 2025, according to a Tel Aviv University study. About one-fifth of the doctors who left were over 45, while losses in some specialties reached 6.2%.
Doctors’ departure from Israel accelerated as indicators of a healthcare staffing shortage increased. According to a study by Tel Aviv University, at least 1,370 doctors left the country between 2023 and 2025.
The study classified a doctor as having left the country if they spent more than 270 days abroad during their first year overseas and did not subsequently remain in Israel for more than three consecutive months.
One-fifth of departing doctors were over 45
The study focused specifically on doctors over 45, who had completed their specialist training and played an important role in training younger physicians. About one-fifth of the doctors who left the country during the three-year period belonged to this age group.
A total of 116 doctors left the fields of ophthalmology, dermatology, and otolaryngology. This represented 6.2% of the physicians in those specialties.
During the same period, 188 surgeons left Israel. This figure represented approximately 6% of the country’s total number of surgeons.
Departure rate reached 5.4% in the Tel Aviv region
The highest rate of doctors leaving the country was recorded in the Tel Aviv region. According to the study, 5.4% of doctors in the region left Israel.
A report published last week by Israel’s Ministry of Finance also found that approximately 24% of specialist doctors in public hospitals are expected to reach retirement age in the coming years. The report said that 25% of doctors continue working beyond the retirement age because of the shortage of healthcare workers.
Warning that departures could increase
Prof. Itay Ater, one of the study’s authors, said the main cause for concern was not the current situation but the direction of the trend. Ater said economists had warned that the departure of skilled workers from the country had accelerated since 2023, adding that concerns emerged during the government’s judicial overhaul initiative and intensified with the October 7, 2023 attacks and the war that followed.
Ater warned that doctors’ departures could increase further after the general election scheduled to take place in the country on October 27.
Another study published by Tel Aviv University in August found that 268,509 Israelis had left the country for at least three months between 2023 and 2025. Israel’s public broadcaster described the figure as a record.
The increase in departures from Israel has been linked to the war, the high cost of living, and the political crisis surrounding the government’s attempts to reduce the judiciary’s powers. A survey conducted in August found that approximately one in five Israelis had considered moving abroad in the previous two years, while 12% said the upcoming election could influence their decision to remain in the country.
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