A surge in emigration from Israel during judicial coup attempt preceding the war

Key Findings:

This policy brief examines the significant increase in emigration from Israel during the first nine months of 2023. It suggests that the government's judicial overhaul attempts may have contributed to this emigration surge.

In the first nine months of 2023, approximately 24,900 native-born Israelis emigrated, marking a 42% rise compared to the annual average of 17,529 during the 2009-2022 period. 

During the same timeframe, about 11,300 native-born Israelis returned to the country, a 7% decrease from the 2009-2022 annual average of 12,214. 

Net Emigration: The resulting net emigration of 13,600 individuals in 2023 is 2.6 times higher than the average net emigration observed between 2009 and 2022. 

While some believe new immigrants (olim) can offset the number of emigrants, data indicates that net emigration among foreign-born Israelis is considerably higher than among native-born Israelis. The future trajectory of emigration will depend significantly on Israel's social, economic, and political developments.