Study: Nearly 1,400 doctors left Israel for extended periods between 2023 and 2025

Nearly 1,400 doctors left Israel for periods of at least one year between 2023 and 2025, almost double the number recorded during the corresponding three-year period a decade earlier, according to a new study by researchers at Tel Aviv University.

The study, based on data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics and reported by Ynet on Sunday, found that 1,369 physicians left the country between 2023 and 2025, compared with 705 between 2013 and 2015 — an increase of approximately 94 percent.

According to the figures, 419 doctors left Israel in 2023, rising to 530 in 2024, the highest annual figure during the period examined. An estimated 420 doctors left in 2025, although researchers noted that the figure remains preliminary.

The study also identified an increase in the proportion of more experienced physicians leaving the country.

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Doctors aged 45 and older accounted for approximately 20 percent of those who left between 2023 and 2025, compared with 14 percent during the corresponding period a decade earlier.

In absolute terms, the number of departing physicians aged 45 or older increased from around 100 between 2013 and 2015 to approximately 270 between 2023 and 2025, nearly tripling over the decade.

The researchers highlighted the potential implications for Israel’s healthcare workforce, as experienced doctors generally require substantial time and resources to replace.

For comparison, the total number of doctors who left during the latest three-year period exceeds the number of physicians employed at some of Israel’s major hospitals, according to figures cited in the report.

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