Sharp rise in Aliyah from US, UK, Canada, and France

While immigration to Israel declined last year, authorities have reported a significant increase in immigration from a number of Western countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, and France.

By World Israel News Staff

Immigration to Israel fell in 2025, but the share of new arrivals from Western countries rose sharply, according to a new report released Sunday by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry.

The ministry said 22,522 new immigrants arrived in Israel in 2025, about 10,000 fewer than in 2024.

But while the total number of immigrants declined, the makeup of the new arrivals shifted, with a larger share coming from the United States, France, Britain and Canada.

According to the report, immigration from those four countries rose 25% compared with the previous year.

Together, they accounted for 38% of all new immigrants in 2025, up from 21% in 2024.

The largest increase was recorded among French Jews, while 3,781 Jews from the United States made Aliyah during 2025.

The report said the new arrivals were also younger than in previous years. About one-third of all immigrants were between the ages of 18 and 35, and among immigrants from Western countries, the figure rose to about 40%.

The trend also appeared in higher education.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, 5,535 immigrant students were enrolled in Israeli academic institutions.

Ynet reported that those students were concentrated mainly at Reichman University, Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

The ministry said the figures point to an increase in young families, single young adults and professionals in fields needed by the Israeli economy.

The report also found that 541 doctors and 25 scientists immigrated to Israel in 2025 through various programs. Sixty-two percent of new immigrants were employed, and 82% of those who were working held full-time jobs.

The ministry said 3,165 new immigrants enlisted in the IDF, though Ynet reported that the number of immigrant soldiers fell by several hundred from the previous year. Men made up 61% of the new immigrant soldiers, and 43% were lone soldiers, mostly from the United States, Russia, Ethiopia, Ukraine and France.

Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said the figures showed that immigration to Israel remained strong despite the war and security challenges.

“Even during this difficult security period Israel is experiencing, thousands of Jews chose to make aliyah precisely now,” Sofer said. “The data shows that aliyah remains one of the most important growth engines of the State of Israel.”

“Immigrants strengthen the economy, the healthcare system, academia, the security establishment, and communities throughout the country,” he added.

The decline in total immigration reflects a broader drop in arrivals from Russia and Ukraine after the surge that followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Times of Israel reported in December that Russian immigration remained the largest source of aliyah in 2025 but fell sharply from the previous year, while non-Russian immigration increased.

That report said around 8,300 immigrants came from Russia in 2025, down from about 19,500 in 2024 and far below the 43,500 who arrived from Russia in 2022. It also said French immigration rose about 45%, while immigration from North America rose around 12%.

The Jerusalem Post reported at the end of 2025 that the Jewish Agency said around 30,000 aliyah files were opened worldwide that year, with France and Russia leading in new files and particularly sharp increases in the UK and Australia.