Israel is experiencing a record wave of emigration, with 40.600 people leaving the country this year – numbers never previously recorded.
Israelis are departing in unprecedented numbers, taking with them their wealth, education, and professional skills. Data behind this trend points to long-term damage for Israel, even far from conflict zones in the north and south of the country.
In the first seven months of this year, 40.600 people left the country, which is an average of 2.200 more per month than in 2023.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has updated its method for calculating long-term departures and returns of Israelis, adopting international standards for measuring emigration and developing a new statistical method within its Department of Demography and Census.
Comparison with 2023
The data tells a clear story: in 2023, 55.400 people emigrated – a record high compared to the annual average of 37.100 over the previous decade. That same year, 27.800 Israelis returned after extended stays abroad, higher than the decade average of 23.800.
Using the old measurement method, applied until 2021, the numbers for emigrants and returnees were lower. The revised system revealed an additional 126.100 emigrants over the past 10 years.
In 2023, 39% of emigrants came from wealthier districts, including Tel Aviv and the central region, 28% from Haifa and the north, and 15% from the south. Even Jerusalem contributed 13% of all emigrants, while Judea and Samaria accounted for 5%.
Emigration rates increased during the summer. While an average of 5.200 people left the country each month in the first five months, the number rose to 7.300 per month in June and July. In August, 20.500 Israelis residing abroad returned for visits.
The number of “long-term emigrants,” as defined by the CBS, increased by 59% in the first seven months of 2023.
Demographic profile of emigrants
The median age of male emigrants in 2023 was 31.6 years, while for women, it was 32.5 years. Individuals in their 20s and 30s made up 40% of the emigrants, despite comprising only about 27% of the total population. This indicates that Israel is losing a significant workforce at an age when many are entering the job market, continuing education, or seeking professional opportunities abroad. It is also clear that these are military-capable individuals.
Among the emigrants, 48% of men and 45% of women were unmarried. Around 41% emigrated with a partner, reinforcing the belief that many have relocated permanently.
In 2023, 59% of emigrants were born abroad, while 41% were born in Israel. Of those born abroad, 80% came from Europe, with the vast majority (72%) from the former Soviet Union. Many of these emigrants had received substantial state aid upon arriving in Israel, including subsidized housing and mortgage loans, and later profited significantly from selling those properties.
Religious and ethnic differences among emigrants
Non-Arab Christians, mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union who arrived in Israel under the Law of Return through family ties or marriages, made up 32.4% of emigrants in 2023, despite representing only 4.9% of the total population.
Some critics argue that these individuals, who felt marginalized in Israeli society due to not being Jewish, have now taken the opportunity to leave, benefiting financially from the situation.
Arab Muslims and Christians contributed less to the wave of emigration, accounting for only 6.2% of emigrants, even though they represent 21.3% of the population. Notably, around 9% of emigrants were born in the United States (U.S.), and about 4% in France, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
