Exodus: Record number of ‘Israelis’ leave driven by fear, instability

A record number of ‘Israelis’ are choosing to leave, driven by a mix of political instability and profound security fears following the events of Oct. 7, according to recent reports on Hebrew media.

Numbers from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) confirmed that 82,800 ‘Israelis’ emigrated in 2023, the highest annual total since 2010 and more than double the historical average of approximately 40,500 annual departures recorded between 2009 and 2021.

This mass departure, often referred to as Yerida, has resulted in a loss of human capital, and the number is expected to be the same in 2025, per Hebrew media.

Reports compiled by the Knesset Research and Information Center found that the cumulative net migration loss of ‘Israelis’, the number leaving permanently minus the number of long-term returnees, reached 125,200 people between the beginning of 2022 and August 2024.

Political Instability and the Shift in Motivation

Analysts indicate a fundamental shift in the reasons behind emigration. While past departures were primarily motivated by economic factors, such as the search for better career opportunities or lower costs of living, current trends are rooted in existential concerns.

According to research by Lilach Lev Ari, a professor of sociology at Oranim College, the data shows that "now, the main factor driving people away is the political and security situation".

The crisis was initially catalyzed by the government's controversial judicial overhaul plan introduced in early 2023, which rattled investor confidence and sparked mass protests over concerns about democratic stability.

This political turmoil was compounded by the security shock of the October 7 events, and the resultant assault on Gaza, which further accelerated the trend.

The scale of the outflow has been characterized by lawmakers as a demographic crisis.

MK Gilad Kariv, chairman of the Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee, stated, “This is not a wave of emigration, it's a tsunami of Israelis choosing to leave the country”.

The Brain Drain of High-Tech Talent

The loss is disproportionately concentrated among ‘Israel’s’ most productive demographic: educated young adults between the ages of 20 and 39.

The high-tech sector, ‘Israel's’ core economic engine, has been severely affected, with more than 8,000 professionals emigrating between the immediate aftermath of October 2023 and mid-2024 alone.

Prof Aaron Ciechanover, a Nobel laureate and leading ‘Israeli’ scientist, attributed the rise in departures to those who “want to live in a free, liberal-democratic country, and not in a country where the government is forcibly taking power”.

Despite the clear scale of the problem and the warnings about the ongoing loss of human capital, Knesset reports indicate that "Israel's government does not currently have a plan to address the problem of Israelis leaving".