"Tsunami of leaving the country": Hundreds of thousands of Israelis travel - and don't return

A report by the Knesset Research and Information Center reveals a 53% decline in the number of residents returning to Israel, from 8,000 in 2020 to about 3,800 in 2024. The trend worsened starting in 2023. More than half of those returning in 2024-2025 were of working age, and about 70% returned after more than five years abroad. About half of the returnees came from North America, with a sharp drop from the US. The report notes bureaucratic challenges and rising antisemitism worldwide.

A report by the Knesset Research and Information Center, published on August 17, 2026, reveals a sharp 53% decline in the number of residents returning to Israel. The number fell from about 8,000 returning residents in 2020 to only about 3,800 in 2024, with the downward trend worsening from 2023 onward. Between 2021 and 2024, a consistent decline was recorded. The report indicates that more than half of those returning to Israel between 2024-2025 were of working age (28-60), a high proportion relative to their share in the general population. About 70% of returning residents came back after more than five years abroad, and nearly a third returned after a decade or more. Geographically, about half of the approximately 141,000 returning residents in 2024-2025 came from North America (45% from the United States and 5% from Canada). However, there was a sharp drop in the number of returnees from the United States, falling from about 3,700 in 2020 to only about 1,500 in 2024. Following the Russia-Ukraine war, a one-off spike was recorded in 2022 in the number of returnees from Ukraine (9%) and Russia (8%). The report notes many bureaucratic challenges that make it difficult for Israelis to return, but also notes that antisemitism worldwide intensifies the dilemma. The article highlights the scale of the phenomenon, described as a "tsunami of leaving the country."