A study commissioned by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) reveals that in recent years, the number of people leaving Israel has significantly exceeded the number of those arriving.

According to the findings of this study—published yesterday, Wednesday, by the Israeli news outlet Ynet—nearly half of those who have left the country in recent years are highly educated young people.

Data indicates that this trend of emigration has intensified further since the outbreak of the Gaza War in October 2023. Conversely, the number of citizens returning to Israel has also declined significantly.

Between 2022 and 2026, more than 210,000 Israelis left the country—a figure substantially higher than that recorded during the 2009–2021 period. According to the study, an average of 40,000 people are leaving the country annually. Currently, the net difference between those leaving and those returning stands at 140,000.

The study’s results show that 48 percent of those emigrating are between the ages of 20 and 44, whereas this age demographic constitutes only 32 percent of the general population. Since 2022, among those who have emigrated, 33.2 percent hold a bachelor’s degree, 21.5 percent hold a master’s degree, and 3.7 percent hold a PhD. Notably, the rate of emigration is particularly high among graduates in fields such as mathematics, computer science, and physics.

Furthermore, among those who left the country in 2024, 52 percent were born in Israel, while the remaining 48 percent were born abroad. Gilad Kariv, a Knesset member from the Democratic Party, told Ynet, “The scientists and entrepreneurs of tomorrow are leaving Israel at a rate far exceeding their proportion within the general population.” He characterized this phenomenon as a “strategic threat” to the country’s future.