Exodus: 94% of Israeli Doctors Are Leaving
About 1,369 doctors left Israel between 2023 and 2025 for at least one year. That is an increase of 94% increase compared to the same period a decade earlier. This exodus is raising concern about the growing repercussions on the Israeli healthcare system, particularly because of the high portion of experienced doctors among those leaving.
According to a study by researchers at Tel Aviv University, based on data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, only 705 doctors left Israel between 2013 and 2015, compared to 1,369 in the last three years.
The year 2024 saw the highest number of departures, with 530 doctors leaving, compared to 419 in 2023 and 420 in 2025, according to preliminary estimates.
The study indicates that approximately 20% of the doctors who left in the last three years are 45 years of age or older, compared to 14% a decade ago. The number of doctors in this category rose from approximately 100 to nearly 270, reflecting a significant increase in the emigration of experienced physicians.
Professor Itai Ater, one of the study’s authors, stated that the departure of this group poses a particular risk, given that many are at the peak of their careers, including senior physicians and department heads. He warned of the impact this could have on the quality of medical services and the healthcare system’s ability to train new doctors in Israel.
These figures coincide with data from the Israeli Ministry of Finance indicating that approximately 24% of specialist physicians in public hospitals are nearing retirement age, exacerbating concerns about the anticipated shortage of medical personnel.
The study revealed that the phenomenon encompasses several medical specialties, with particularly high rates among physicians under 60 years of age.
Surgery saw the departure of 188 doctors, while internal medicine experienced the exit of 215. A total of 116 doctors specializing in otolaryngology, dermatology, and ophthalmology, along with 94 pediatricians, left Israel, in addition to doctors specializing in anesthesiology, radiology, psychiatry, intensive care, and emergency medicine.
The Tel Aviv area recorded the highest number of departures, with 429 doctors leaving over the past three years, followed by the central, Haifa, Jerusalem, and southern regions.
According to the study, the problem is not limited to the high number of departures. Israel lost a net 509 doctors during 2023 and 2024, averaging about 255 doctors annually, compared to an average annual loss of only 54 doctors between 2010 and 2019.
Researchers believe that the decline in the number of doctors returning from abroad, coupled with the increase in the number leaving, is accelerating the depletion of the medical system.
Ater warned that the continuation of this trend could lead to what he described as a “snowball effect,” whereby political, economic, and security developments push even more skilled professionals to leave Israel.
He said that the surge in doctors emigrating began in 2023, before the events of October 7, noting that part of the phenomenon is related, in his estimation, to the developments that Israel has witnessed in recent years according to Al Jarmaq News.
CrossFireArabia
