A record number of Israeli citizens are leaving the country, according to a troubling new Tel Aviv University study published Monday. The study found that more than 90,000 citizens left Israel for at least three consecutive months in 2025.
The research was conducted by Professor Itai Ater of Tel Aviv University's Coller School of Management, who heads the Economists for Israeli Democracy forum; Professor Nittai Bergman, head of the university's School of Economics; and Doron Zamir, a doctoral student at the Coller School of Management. Their findings indicate that the wave of emigration that began in 2023 remained at historically high levels in 2025.
The study draws on data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, along with higher-education records from the Council for Higher Education, professional licensing data from the Health Ministry and income information from the Israel Tax Authority. For the purposes of the study, an emigrant was defined as someone who remained outside Israel for at least three consecutive months after leaving the country. New immigrants were included only if they had lived in Israel for at least three years before their departure.
According to the findings, 268,509 Israeli citizens left the country for at least three consecutive months between 2023 and 2025. The figure for 2025 was 90,922, similar to the 91,499 Israelis who left in 2024 and slightly higher than the 86,509 who left in 2023.
By comparison, only 183,219 citizens left Israel for comparable periods between 2013 and 2015. From 2010 through 2019, the annual average was approximately 60,000 departures. The researchers said the figures indicated "a departure from equilibrium after many years of relative stability in the migration balance."
Based on several indicators examined in the study, the researchers estimated that between 45,000 and 50,000 Israelis who left in 2025 would remain abroad for at least 12 months. That would be similar to the figures recorded in 2023 and 2024, when 49,925 and 49,677 people, respectively, remained outside Israel for a year or longer.
Concern over possible damage to Israel's engines of growth
Emigration is not unique to Israel. Other countries, including Greece, Hungary, Venezuela, Argentina, South Africa and Lebanon, have experienced the departure of highly skilled and economically established segments of their populations. Unlike many other countries, however, Israel has few natural resources and its economy relies heavily on highly skilled human capital concentrated in the high-tech industry, advanced medical services and academia, the researchers said.
These sectors depend on a relatively small number of critical workers. In earlier publications, the research team identified significant and troubling increases in emigration among doctors, engineers, academics and people with doctoral degrees. The researchers said providing the public and the government with current data was essential for formulating appropriate policies and understanding the phenomenon's potential consequences for Israeli society and the economy.
Researchers: No immediate danger, but deterioration remains a concern
Despite the troubling figures, the researchers cautioned against panic. They said the current number of emigrants did not pose an immediate threat to the Israeli economy and that the figures alone did not yet endanger the country's resilience.
Professor Ater nevertheless warned of the longer-term risks. "Looking ahead, if nothing changes, there is growing concern that emigration from Israel will increase to a level that endangers Israel's security and economy," he said.
The researchers said the greater danger was that additional political, economic or security shocks could create a feedback loop in which each person who leaves encourages others to follow. "Once emigration rises above a certain threshold, reversing the trend will be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, and the macroeconomic consequences will be severe," they said.
