JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Official data showed a “sharp jump” in the number of people emigrating from Israel, reaching record levels in recent years, while only a small minority have returned, Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported Monday.

The paper said a special Knesset report found that most emigrants are educated young adults between the ages of 20 and 39, including some who had previously immigrated to Israel but left shortly after.

The findings were published by the Knesset Research and Information Center ahead of a session of the parliamentary Committee for Immigration and Absorption, which will convene Monday to discuss the growing emigration trend.

The report “presents a troubling picture of Israel’s emigration patterns,” Maariv said.

According to data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics cited in the report, an average of about 36,000 Israelis left the country each year between 2009 and 2021.

Starting in 2022, the paper added, emigration spiked sharply, with 55,000 Israelis leaving that year, a 46% increase from 2021. The figure rose again in 2023, when about 82,700 Israelis left, marking another 50% increase.

Meanwhile, the number of Israelis returning after extended stays abroad remained low, averaging around 24,000 annually, according to the report.

Roughly 40% of those who left and 38% of those who returned in 2022 were between 20 and 39 years old, a higher share than their proportion in the general population, which stands at 27%.

The newspaper noted that this group represents a young, highly employable demographic, and their departure could have long-term economic effects.

The report also recorded another surge in departures since October 2023, though no details were provided, Maariv said.

Since October 2023, Israel has waged a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 68,000 people, mostly women and children, and injuring over 170,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.