Israelis leaving country permanently spiked 285% after Oct. 7 but stabilized since — data

The number of Israelis who permanently left Israel spiked after Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the ensuing outbreak of war in Gaza, but dropped in the following months and has now stabilized, according to data cited by Hebrew media.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics cited by Channel 12 News suggests a 285 percent increase in October 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

The trend reverses the following month, with 30,000 Israelis leaving the country permanently between November 2023 and March 2024, representing a 14% decrease from the same period the previous year.

The data also indicates a 21% decrease in Israelis returning from abroad, with 8,898 moving back to Israel between October 2023 and March 2024, compared to 11,231 the previous year.

There was also an increase in Israelis moving abroad in the months before the war, amid mass protests against the government’s judicial overhaul plan, with an increase of 51% in June-September 2023 compared to 2022.

Channel 12 notes that the CBS data tallies Israelis who left the country, did not return over the following 10 months, and centered their lives abroad, and as such can only indicate trends.

It also notes that the factors for the decision to move abroad may not necessarily be connected to the date of departure, as emigration usually takes several months to arrange.