Israeli Doctor Brain Drain Surges Fivefold Over Last Two Years
A new Tel Aviv University study reveals a sharp increase in the emigration of Israeli doctors. In 2023–2024, Israel suffered a net loss of 509 physicians, nearly five times the annual average recorded in the previous decade.
A new study conducted by Professor Itai Ater, Professor Nitai Bergman, and Doron Zamir of Tel Aviv University reveals a severe decline in the migration balance of Israeli physicians. The research is based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics research room.
According to the findings, during 2023–2024, Israel suffered a net loss of 509 doctors—averaging 255 per year. This represents a nearly fivefold increase compared to the average annual net loss of just 54 doctors recorded between 2010 and 2019.
This trend coincides with an ongoing crisis in the healthcare system. A recent Ministry of Finance wage report revealed that 24% of hospital specialists in Israel are currently approaching retirement age. While final figures for 2025 are not yet complete, researchers estimate that approximately 419 doctors left the country during the year.
Annual Emigration Trends
An analysis of the year-by-year data highlights the accelerating pace of the brain drain:
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2020 (COVID-19 Pandemic): The migration balance was positive, as strict international travel restrictions led to more doctors returning to Israel than leaving.
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2021: A sharp spike was recorded with a net loss of 116 doctors, partially representing a post-pandemic correction.
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2022: The net loss reached 135 doctors, returning to levels last seen in 2009.
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2023: The net loss jumped to 181 doctors, setting a new record at the time.
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2024: The figure nearly doubled to reach an all-time high of 328 doctors.
The worsening balance is driven by a combination of more departures and fewer returns. In 2024, 530 doctors left Israel for an extended period (the highest number since 2009), compared to 416 in 2023. Meanwhile, only 202 doctors returned to Israel in 2024, a 14% decrease from the 235 who returned in 2023.
Surgical and Specialized Fields Hit Hardest
The data shows that emigration is highly concentrated in critical medical fields. Between 2023 and 2025, 188 surgeons left Israel, representing approximately 6% of all licensed surgeons in the country. This group includes 123 specialists in orthopedic, plastic, urological, vascular, and neurosurgery, and 65 in general, cardiothoracic, pediatric, and hand surgery.
High emigration rates were also recorded among dermatologists, ophthalmologists, and ENT specialists, with 116 doctors (6.2% of licensed specialists in these fields) departing within three years. In absolute numbers, internal medicine specialists saw the largest loss, with 215 doctors (3.9%) leaving.
Additionally, 98 support-specialty physicians (including anesthesiology, radiology, and pathology) left the country, representing 3.9% of their field. Other departures included 72 gynecologists, 51 psychiatrists, and 39 intensive care and emergency medicine specialists.
Notably, the largest absolute group of emigrants consisted of 353 doctors without a registered specialty (2.1% of the licensed pool in this category), indicating that the brain drain is affecting younger doctors prior to their residency training.
Demographic and Regional Shifts
The age profile of departing physicians is also shifting. In 2023–2025, approximately 23% of those who left were over the age of 45, compared to just 14% in the previous decade. While many doctors travel abroad temporarily for fellowships or research, the rising proportion of senior, experienced physicians increases concerns that a larger share of departures may become permanent.
Geographically, the Tel Aviv district led the departures with 429 doctors leaving in 2023–2025 (5.4% of licensed doctors in the district), compared to 3.7% in Haifa, 3.3% in Jerusalem, 3.1% in the Central district, and 3% in the South.
The researchers warned of systemic risks if the trend is left unaddressed:
"The real danger lies in breaking the equilibrium, with the risk that emigration numbers will continue to rise rather than stabilize. Additional negative shocks—whether political, economic, or security-related—could trigger feedback loops where each departure increases the incentive for others to follow. Once emigration passes a certain threshold, reversing the trend becomes extremely difficult, with severe macroeconomic consequences."
