A report by the Knesset’s Research and Information Center has revealed that nearly 146,000 more Israelis left the country than returned between 2024 and 2025, marking one of the highest emigration gaps in recent years.
According to the Israeli newspaper Ynet, 34,000 Israelis left the country for long stays abroad in 2020, with 43,400 departing in 2021. In comparison, 32,500 and 23,600 people returned in those years, respectively.
The outflow surged sharply in 2022 and 2023, with 59,400 Israelis leaving in 2022, a 44% increase from the previous year, and 82,800 departing in 2023, up 39%. October 2023 saw a notable rise following the outbreak of the Gaza war.
This trend persisted in 2024, with about 50,000 departures recorded between January and August, mirroring figures from the same period the previous year.
The report also highlighted that the number of returning citizens has consistently remained lower than those emigrating for extended periods. In 2023, the gap nearly doubled, reaching 58,600, while by August 2024, the difference stood at around 36,900.
Knesset member and head of the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee, Gilad Kariv, warned that the phenomenon represents more than a temporary migration wave, calling it a “tsunami” that poses a strategic threat to Israel’s social strength, as more citizens choose to build their futures abroad.
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