Record emigration from Israel during war: Knesset report

Nearly 60,000 Israelis permanently left the country in 2024.

By World Israel News Staff

A report recently presented in the Knesset revealed that tens of thousands of Israelis have emigrated from the country since October 7, 2023, raising concerns around the country’s growth rate.

According to the report by the Central Bureau of Statistics, around 82,700 Israelis left the country in 2024, with just 23,800 returning, indicating a net loss of nearly 60,000 residents.

Notably, nearly half of those who emigrated were born outside of Israel, and 15 percent of them had spent less than five years in the country.

In 2024, Israel’s population growth rate plunged from 1.6% in 2023 to 1.1%.

According to earlier data released in December 2024 by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of new immigrants to Israel has fallen sharply.

The startling statistics were discussed by the Knesset’s Aliyah, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee on Monday.

Research by the committee members also found that Israel is ranked as one of the least attractive destinations for entrepreneurs and potential immigrants with advanced academic degrees.

“Despite the wave of antisemitism around the world, the Israel-Hamas War is discouraging new olim from coming to Israel,” said MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu) during the discussion, according to a summary of his remarks published on the Knesset website.

Forer added that he believed unnecessary government bureaucracy and red tape around recognizing potential immigrants’ professional qualifications – such as a lengthy process for doctors to obtain local medical licenses – were a major factor in discouraging educated immigrants from moving to Israel.

Others cited the general economic downturn caused by the war as a reason for the drop in Aliyah.

“Hi-tech professionals love the country and want to live here, but the decline in investors in the Israeli market is harming their ability to stay,” said Irit Touitou, co-founder and partner of Tech For Israel.

“If the trend does not change, Israel will lose its social and economic advantage. The government must restore the business sector’s confidence in Israel.”