In 2025, as Israel remained at war following the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, immigration patterns revealed a sharp divergence between Jews abroad moving to Israel and Israeli citizens leaving the country. Official data released this year shows a rise in aliyah from Western countries, particularly North America and Western Europe, even as Israel experienced a sustained negative migration balance.
More than 21,900 new immigrants moved to Israel in 2025, according to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. The figure marked a decline of roughly one-third compared to 2024, largely due to a steep drop in immigration from Russia. At the same time, immigration from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and South Africa increased significantly, continuing a trend that has accelerated since 2023.
Data from Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN), which facilitates aliyah from North America, provides part of the answer. The organization reported that 4,150 Jews from the United States and Canada made aliyah in 2025, the highest annual figure in four years and a 12 percent increase from 2024. The immigrants arrived in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and Jewish National Fund–USA.
NBN reported that more than half of North American applicants cited solidarity with Israel following the outbreak of war as a primary motivation for immigration. Between 2022 and 2025, the number of aliyah applications opened by North Americans rose by approximately 50 percent, from 8,943 to 13,389. In response to the surge, the organization expanded its staff and conducted dozens of aliyah events across North America.
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, NBN’s co-founder and executive director, said the 2025 figures reflected a broader national impact. “These olim underscore that aliyah is not solely a personal milestone, but a national and historic endeavor,” Fass said.
The demographic breakdown of North American immigrants showed a relatively young population. Among the 2025 arrivals were 297 families, 946 children, 1,476 single adults, and 548 retirees. The average age was 31. The youngest immigrant was four months old, and the oldest was 96. Most immigrants came from New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland, Florida, and Illinois.
Professional integration was a notable component of this wave. Ninety-three physicians from North America immigrated to Israel in 2025 as part of the International Medical Aliyah program, a joint initiative involving NBN and multiple Israeli ministries. In total, 541 physicians from around the world immigrated through the program this year.
Settlement patterns also stood out. Through the NBN and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael “Go Beyond” program, 1,505 North American olim settled in the Negev, the Galilee, and Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the leading destination, attracting 1,097 North American immigrants. Additional destinations included Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Netanya, Herzliya, and Haifa.
National immigration figures reflected similar trends. Ministry data showed that about 13,600 non-Russian immigrants arrived in 2025, a 23.6 percent increase from 2024 and an 81 percent increase from 2023. Immigration from Russia remained the largest single country source, with approximately 8,300 arrivals, but that number represented a 57 percent decline from 2024 and a dramatic drop from 2022, when more than 43,500 immigrants arrived following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Immigration from the United States rose to approximately 3,500 in 2025, a 30 percent increase compared to 2023. French immigration increased about 45 percent to 3,300, while immigration from the United Kingdom rose 19 percent to 840. Canada accounted for roughly 420 immigrants, South Africa 220, and Australia 180. About one-third of all new immigrants were between the ages of 18 and 35.
Officials linked the increase in Western aliyah to rising antisemitism abroad, including deadly terror attacks against Jewish targets in Europe and Australia during the past year. In response, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration expanded immigration fairs and preparedness efforts, with more than 30,000 people worldwide opening immigration files in 2025, according to Jewish Agency data.
While aliyah from abroad increased, Knesset discussions throughout 2025 focused on a parallel and troubling trend: emigration from Israel. The Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs reported that since 2022, approximately 125,200 Israeli citizens have left the country. In 2024 alone, 82,700 Israelis emigrated, significantly exceeding the number of new immigrants that year.
Statistics presented by the National Insurance Institute showed 8,400 proactive terminations of residency in 2024, compared to an annual average of about 2,500 in previous years. Research from the Israel Democracy Institute indicated that secular Israelis, young adults aged 18–34, high-income earners, and Israelis holding foreign citizenships were the most likely to consider emigration. Haredim were the least likely by a wide margin.
Despite the emigration figures, officials noted a slight improvement in the 2025 data. The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration announced plans to present a strategic program in early 2026 aimed at encouraging Israelis living abroad to return.
