A new study by researchers at Tel Aviv University indicates that the emigration trend from Israel, which began in 2023, continued through 2025, with the number of Israelis who left the country for at least three consecutive months remaining at a record level.
According to the study, in 2025 some 90,922 Israeli citizens left Israel for periods of three months or more. This is similar to 2024, when 91,499 Israelis left, and slightly higher than 2023, when 86,509 Israelis left.
Overall, between 2023 and 2025 a total of 268,509 citizens left Israel for at least three consecutive months - a figure significantly higher than the comparable period a decade earlier. Between 2013 and 2015 the number of departures was only 183,219.
The research was conducted by Prof. Itai Ater, head of the Economists for Democracy forum; Prof. Nati Bergman, head of the School of Economics at Tel Aviv University; and Doron Zamir, a PhD student in the Faculty of Management and is based on processing data from the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The researchers say that official migration data based on 12-month stays outside Israel are not yet available, so they used a measure of departures lasting three months or more. They note a very high correlation between the two measures - 0.96 - so the shorter-term measure can be used to estimate long-term emigration levels.
Accordingly, the researchers estimate that the number of Israelis who will meet the official “migrant" definition for 2025, using the 12-month measure, is likely to be between 45,000 and 50,000 people.
Prof. Ater said, “Even in 2025 we see very troubling numbers of Israelis leaving the country for a significant period. These figures do not yet pose an immediate danger to Israel’s resilience, but if the trend continues without change, there is a real risk of harm to Israel’s security and economy."
The researchers note that public discussion about emigration intensified since the end of 2022 in the context of the political crisis, public protests, and the war that erupted after the October 7th massacre. The aim of the study, they say, is to provide an up-to-date picture based on official data.
The study recalls that an earlier publication found particularly large increases in emigration among doctors, PhD holders, engineers, academics, and high-income individuals.
However, the researchers emphasize that the main risk is not the current volume of emigration, but the possibility that the trend will worsen. They say additional political, security, or economic crises could create a “snowball" effect, in which each wave of departures encourages more Israelis to emigrate, potentially causing significant damage to the economy and Israeli society.