Tel Aviv Loses Its Scientific Elite.. For the First Time, the Number of Departing Academics Exceeds Returnees

SadaNews - Data from the "Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics" has revealed that brain drain is significantly worsening since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, reaching a level that constitutes a strategic threat to academic institutions, with the proportion of emigrating academics exceeding that of incoming ones for the first time in Israel's history.

Official statistics also revealed that around a quarter of the academics holding a doctorate have moved to work and live outside Israel over the past three years, most of whom emigrated after the onset of the war on Gaza.

According to the data, one of the main features of this brain drain is that the majority of emigrating academics from Israel are young and from stable towns, particularly from the Tel Aviv area and central Israel. There has been a recorded increase in the emigration of researchers in general, who are capable of developing the economy and the field of research in Israel, as they have moved to live and work abroad.

Which Sectors Are Seeing the Most Emigration?

The detailed report from the bureau indicated that the highest percentage of emigrants (25.4%) were among those with a PhD in mathematics; 21.7% with a PhD in computer science; 19.4% specialized in genetics; 17.3% in microbiology; 17% in physics; 14% in chemistry; and 14% of those with a PhD in electrical engineering and biology, who are currently living and working outside Israel.

Statistics revealed that among those who moved to live and work outside Israel, 23% were PhD graduates from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot; 18.2% from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa; 15% from Tel Aviv University; 10% from Ariel University; and 7% from Bar-Ilan University.

Overall, statistics indicate that 11.9% of PhD holders are living and working outside Israel, and 8.1% of Israeli master's degree holders who graduated between 1990 and 2018 are likely to have moved abroad permanently.

When Did the Decline Begin?

The data indicated a rise in the number of new emigrating academics who have moved to live and work abroad, as well as a decline in the number returning to Israel after staying abroad for over three years and having returned more than two years ago.

Since 2022, there has been a decline in the number of academics returning to Israel, while on the other hand, 2023 (which witnessed the end of the Gaza war) saw an increase in the number of academics who moved to live and work abroad for extended periods.

The data also reflects an increase in the percentage of young researchers holding PhDs, who completed their studies between 2014 and 2018 and moved to live and work outside Israel.

According to 2024 data, 14.9% of young researchers with PhDs in the fields of exact sciences and engineering live and work abroad, compared to 13.4% of those who graduated between 2011 and 2013.

The total percentage of PhD holders who completed their studies between 2015 and 2018 living abroad rose to 11.7% in 2024, while this percentage among graduates from 2011 to 2014 was around 11.4% in 2020, and about 10.7% among graduates from 2007 to 2010 in 2016.

The War Is Not the Only Cause

It is likely that another reason for the brain drain and the decline in the number of returnees to Israel, aside from the war and the government's plans for a coup against the system of governance and the judiciary, relates to the conditions surrounding the research field and the treatment of academies during the current Netanyahu administration, which has been attacking academic institutions and research entities since its formation.

Another reason for the emigration of academics is the declining budgets for higher education in Israel. On the one hand, Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been cutting them, despite allocating huge budgets for the interests of coalition party factions. On the other hand, the European Research Fund, which is the main financier of research in Israel, is reducing its support due to the war.

In addition, foreign universities offer Israeli researchers better salaries and richer research support budgets, which is why they prefer to move abroad and not return to the country.

It is noteworthy that the budget for higher education in Israel this year 2025 has reached 14 billion shekels (the dollar equals 3.2 shekels), and is expected to be similar in 2026, despite a decrease in income from external research grants, due to increased academic boycotts of Israel.

In the last five years, the budget for higher education has been reduced by 700 million shekels, due to cuts in other items.

Recently, at the opening of the academic year less than two months ago, the government approved a cut of 40 million shekels in the higher education budget to fund an increase for the Ministry of National Security. A month before that, the government reduced the higher education budget by about 150 million shekels to cover publicity expenses for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.