Nearly 70,000 Israelis Left the Country in 2024... How Many Returned?

SadaNews - According to data issued by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 70,000 Israelis left "Israel" during the year 2024, while only about 18,800 Israelis returned from abroad, indicating a net negative migration estimated at around 18,600 people, according to a Hebrew report published by Globes economic newspaper, translated by Sada Economy.

According to the data, the number of departures in 2024 was slightly lower than that of 2023, which saw about 83,000 departures, but it is still significantly higher compared to the preceding years. The bureau notes that the definition of a "leaver" is only applied after a full year has passed since their exit from the country, when it becomes clear that the departure is not temporary, which is why 2024 data was published after the end of 2025, according to the translation by Sada Economy.

In addition to the returnees, the year 2024 witnessed the arrival of 32,100 new immigrants; however, this did not prevent a net population decline due to migration, which is regarded as a continuation of a trend that began in recent years, following a long period characterized by positive migration benefiting Israel.

The Statistics Bureau mentioned that the month with the highest recorded departures was October 2023, with individuals being officially declared as leavers in October 2024, which is clearly associated with the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war and the attack that occurred on October 7.

Data shows that approximately 40% of those who departed are aged 20-39 years, despite this group representing only 26.5% of the total population in "Israel". The median age of those leaving is around 31.9 years.

Additionally, the figures according to the translation by Sada Economy indicate that unmarried men leave more than married men, while married women leave more than unmarried women.

Notable Demographics

The data revealed that Arabs constitute only 5.7% of the total leavers, a significantly lower percentage than their representation in the society within Israel. Conversely, 36% of the leavers are classified as "others" (neither Jewish nor Arab), while 48% of them were born outside of Israel, as translated by Sada Economy.

It was also found that nearly three-quarters of those leaving were migrants who came to Israel over the past five years. Estimates suggest that a substantial number of them are migrants who arrived from the former Soviet Union under the "Law of Return", and the majority of them are non-Jewish, fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine, having taken Israel as a temporary stop before moving to other countries. The data indicate that their percentage began to decline thereafter.