Israelis Increasingly Reluctant to Stay, Exodus Sentiment Surges

Contrary to Israel’s intensive efforts over the past 78 years to attract Jews from around the world with the slogan of providing a “safe homeland”, various polls indicate a growing phenomenon of reverse migration from Israel. This trend is increasingly raising concerns in Tel Aviv.

The latest poll published by the Israel Broadcasting Corporation revealed that nearly one-fifth of Israelis have considered leaving Israel in the past two years.

The survey involved a random sample of 2,358 Israeli citizens. The results showed that 18 percent of respondents, or nearly one-fifth of them, said that during 2024 and 2025 they had considered emigrating from Israel. Meanwhile, 82 percent stated they had never thought about it.

The survey also measured the extent to which the reverse migration phenomenon has spread. About one-third of respondents said they knew someone who had left Israel in the past two years.

Meanwhile, 41 percent admitted to being concerned about the number of Israelis choosing to migrate abroad.

Al Jazeera, citing Anadolu, reported on Tuesday (11/8/2026) that overall, the rate of “reverse migration” from Israel has shown a significant and unprecedented increase over the past four years.

The peak occurred in 2024, when the total number of people permanently leaving Israel exceeded 150,000.