Study Counts 99,000 Israeli Departures in Two Years

99,000 Israelis left the country between January 2023 and December 2024, according to a study published in February by researchers at Tel Aviv University. The figure represents the highest recorded number of departures in the nation’s history. The researchers defined emigration as being away for at least three consecutive months and spending more than 270 days outside the country during the first year of departure.

The trend began following the Hamas attack in October 2023, which killed roughly 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel responded with a major military campaign in the Gaza Strip. A fragile ceasefire took effect in October 2025, but Israel continues to control approximately 60 percent of the enclave and maintains regular military operations there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the country for three decades, has faced a corruption trial since 2020 without a verdict.

The departure numbers split almost evenly between the two years covered by the study, with about 50,000 leaving in 2023 and 49,000 in 2024. Itai Ater, a professor at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University, stated that preliminary figures indicate the pattern continued into 2025. Ater noted that the turbulence of the past three years has forced residents to reconsider their living arrangements, asking themselves if they want to raise children in such a climate.

The exodus is not limited to those with financial means. Avigail Ben-Porat, a 50-year-old single mother in Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, said she dreams of leaving but lacks the resources to do so. She reported hearing rocket fire regularly and noted that many friends have relocated to Portugal, Canada, Thailand, and India. The study also identified a sharp rise in the departure of highly skilled workers, including 2,360 net departures of engineers and 509 doctors in 2023 and 2024.

The upcoming election on October 27 will determine the political direction that influences these trends. Polls suggest Netanyahu’s far-right bloc will fall short of the 61 Knesset seats required to form a government. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party is positioned to win the most seats but is also expected to lack a majority. Coalition negotiations will likely begin after the vote, a process in which Netanyahu has long been considered an expert.

Business leaders are also adjusting to the uncertainty. Liam Schwartz, who heads the corporate immigration department at the Tel Aviv law firm Goldfarb, Gross, Seligman, said some firms face pressure from non-Israeli shareholders to shift parts of their workforce to North America or Europe. Schwartz traced the discontent to January 2023, when the government proposed judicial reforms that would have reduced the Supreme Court’s powers. He said investors feel the government is no longer meeting its part of the social contract.

Ater warned that without a political shift, emigration numbers could climb dramatically. He described the trend as a strategic risk to Israel’s status as a democracy and a liberal country, with implications for the wider Middle East. The study’s findings highlight the loss of human capital in key sectors such as the tech industry, academia, and health care.

The next step in this political cycle is the national vote scheduled for next week. The outcome will determine whether the current administration continues or if a new coalition forms to address the economic and security concerns driving citizens abroad.