‘Israeli’ healthcare in danger as nearly 1,400 doctors leave, study finds
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Nearly 1,400 doctors left ‘Israel’ between 2023 and 2025, a sharp rise that researchers warn is straining their healthcare system.
A new Tel Aviv University study, based on Central Bureau of Statistics data, found that about 1,370 physicians left the country for at least one year during that period.
This represents a 94% increase compared with the 705 doctors who departed in the corresponding years a decade earlier (2013–2015).
Annual figures show 416 departures in 2023, 530 in 2024, and a preliminary estimate of around 419 in 2025.
Even after accounting for those who returned, ‘Israel’ recorded a net loss of 509 doctors in 2023 and 2024—an average of roughly 255 per year.
That is nearly five times the annual net average of 54 physicians lost between 2010 and 2019.
The researchers note that a year abroad does not always mean permanent emigration, as many leave for training or research, yet temporary stays often become longer-term moves.
Departures spanned all specialties and regions, with elevated rates among pediatricians, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, and ENT specialists (around 6.2%), surgeons (about 6%), intensive-care physicians (4.7%), and internal-medicine doctors (3.9%).
Experienced physicians made up a larger share than before: roughly one in five of those leaving were over 45, up from about 14% a decade earlier.
Prof. Itai Ater, one of the study’s authors alongside Prof. Nittai Bergman and Doron Zamir, stated: “Israel is losing its best people. The departure of nearly 1,400 doctors translates directly into longer wait times, less effective medical care, and ultimately severe harm to our quality of life.”
In a fuller comment he added that if the trend continues there is “growing concern that it will cause irreversible damage to Israel’s resilience.”
The outflow occurs against a backdrop of existing workforce pressures in ‘Israeli’ healthcare, including specialists nearing retirement.
Researchers caution that sustained high departures risk longer queues, reduced care quality, and weaker training for the next generation of physicians.
They warn that once emigration crosses a certain threshold it can become self-reinforcing and harder to reverse.
The findings highlight a measurable challenge for ‘Israel’s’ medical system.
