Immigration drops by a third in 2025 as Russian immigration plummets

Some 21,900 new immigrants moved to Israel in 2025, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry says. That is a decline of about a third from last year’s 32,800, due mainly to a sharp dip in immigration from Russia.

Immigration from the United States, France, and the UK rose, showing a trend of more young people moving from Western countries, the ministry notes.

As has been the case every year in recent decades, the largest number of immigrants came from Russia, with about 8,300 arriving during the year. That was a 57% decline from 19,500 in 2024, and a fraction of the 74,000 who arrived in 2022 following the country’s declaration of war on Ukraine.

Excluding Russia, immigration trends remained stable or rose somewhat from the previous year. Some 3,500 immigrants came from the US, an increase of 5% from the previous year and 30% from 2023. French immigration rose 45% to 3,300, compared to 2,200 in 2024. Immigration from the UK rose 19% to 840, reflecting an ongoing upward trend.

“With the support of the Prime Minister, we are promoting a broad government decision to encourage immigration from countries where antisemitism is increasing,” says Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer. “This, along with many programs to integrate immigrants in the fields of employment, housing, higher education and the community, is expected to encourage further immigration and strengthen the State of Israel.”