More than 69,000 people left Israel in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of negative net migration as the war in Gaza and domestic political tensions continued to weigh on the country, official figures show.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel recorded a net migration loss of around 20,000 people last year. While approximately 24,600 new immigrants arrived, the figure was about 8,000 lower than in 2024. At the same time, around 69,000 Israelis departed the country, partly offset by the return of about 19,000 long-term expatriates and 5,500 people arriving through family reunification.
Despite the outflow, Israel’s total population grew by 1.1 per cent in 2025 to reach 10.178 million, one of the slowest annual growth rates in the country’s history. The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies had forecast even weaker growth of 0.9 per cent, which would have been the lowest rate in years.
The CBS said the decline in immigration was largely due to a sharp fall in arrivals from Russia, following a surge in the wake of the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022. Demographers note that Israel has historically seen more Jewish immigrants than emigrants, with only brief exceptions in the 1950s and 1980s. That pattern shifted in both 2024 and 2025.
Experts attribute the recent trend to a tense political and security climate, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza and public frustration over government-led judicial reforms that critics say threaten democratic institutions.
Population data for 2025 show that Jews and others numbered about 7.77 million, or 76.3 per cent of the total population, while Arab citizens accounted for around 2.15 million, or 21.1 per cent. Foreign residents made up roughly 2.6 per cent, or about 260,000 people.
During the year, Israel recorded around 182,000 births, with 76 per cent to Jewish mothers and 24 per cent to Arab mothers. About 50,000 deaths were registered, slightly fewer than the previous year, resulting in a natural population increase of approximately 112,000 people.
Follow the latest news on Google News
