The wave of emigration in Israel over the past three years has raised serious concerns about the country's future. According to a study published in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper by Tel Aviv University researchers, the number of Israelis who have left the country since 2023 has reached 268,000.
When examined on an annual basis, 86,509 people left Israel for at least three months in 2023, 91,499 in 2024, and 90,922 in 2025. These numbers far exceed the total of 183,219 departures during the 2013-2015 period.
Prof. Dr. Itay Ater of the university's Koller Faculty of Management described the number of long-term departures as 'extremely worrying.' Ater said, 'If this trend continues, emigration could escalate further and threaten Israel's economy and security.'
The study noted that an average of 60,000 people left annually between 2010 and 2019, while the average for the last three years rose to around 90,000. This shows that after many years of relative stability, the emigration balance has turned against Israelis.
An earlier report by the newspaper had noted a significant increase in the number of doctors, academics, engineers, and high-income earners leaving the country. It stated that Israel's economy, with its limited natural resources, depends on human capital in fields such as high-tech, medicine, and academia, and that the emigration of these key personnel would 'deal a heavy blow' to these sectors and the national economy.
The study was published against the backdrop of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 7, 2023. The Israeli army subsequently launched military operations covering Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. According to army data, the number of Israeli soldier fatalities whose names have been published since the start of the war has reached 966.
According to data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the country's population is over 10 million.
