Israel sees 53% drop of returnees as departures on rise: Report

A recent official Knesset report showed a sharp decline in the number of Israelis returning to Israel in recent years, alongside a rise in the number of those leaving the country, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.

“The wave of hostility towards Israel in the world and the sense of belonging could have led to an increase in the number of Israelis returning, despite the war,” the newspaper said citing a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center

The report comes amid widespread public and official anger toward Israel around the world over its US-backed genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 8, 2023.

The genocide has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 174,000, most of them women and children, while destroying 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure. The UN has estimated reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.

“In the years 2022-2024, there was a drastic 53% decrease in the number of returning residents,” the Knesset report highlighted, according to the newspaper.

The report did not address the proportion of Israelis returning in 2025.

The newspaper said the decline coincides with recently published data by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics and academic researchers showing a sharp increase in the number of Israelis leaving the country.

“The study also addressed a series of bureaucratic, economic, and social challenges that make it difficult for Israelis to make a decision to return,” the newspaper said.

These include long waiting periods to obtain state health insurance, fewer benefits compared with new immigrants, employment challenges and difficulties integrating children into the education system.

Yedioth Ahronoth said the average annual number of returning Israelis stood at around 9,300 between 2008 and 2012, before falling to around 7,400 between 2013 and 2020.

“There has been a steep decrease in the number of returnees from about 8,000 in 2020 to about 3,800 in 2024 - the lowest number in recent years,” it said.

According to the newspaper, the report said the steepest decline occurred in 2023, without providing further details.

The drop in return migration also contributed to Israel’s migration balance deficit between 2022 and 2024, which measures the difference between those entering and leaving the country.

According to Central Bureau of Statistics data cited in the report, Israel recorded a migration deficit of around 140,000 people over those three years.

The newspaper said North America has long accounted for the largest share of returning Israelis, but the number returning from there has also fallen sharply.

Around half of all returnees between 2005 and 2024 came from North America, while another 13% returned from Britain, Germany and France, and 6% from Russia and Ukraine.

The number of returnees from the US dropped significantly, from around 3,700 in 2020 to only 1,500 in 2024.

“The proportion of residents returning from Russia and Ukraine increased significantly in 2022 to 9% from Ukraine and 8% from Russia of all returnees, apparently due to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the newspaper said.