Israel had roughly 49,200 undocumented foreign residents at the end of 2024 — including about 26,700 infiltrators and an estimated 22,500 tourists who overstayed their visas — according to new figures released Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The data show that while illegal entry into Israel has nearly stopped in recent years due to the Egyptian border fence, tens of thousands of people who arrived in previous years remain in the country. The CBS said about 19,600 infiltrators were still living in Israel at the end of 2024, along with 7,100 children born to them locally. Most originated from Eritrea (77.9 percent) and Sudan (11.7 percent), and nearly 79 percent are men.
Roughly 39 percent of infiltrators and their children reside in Tel Aviv–Jaffa, with smaller communities in Petah Tikva (6 percent), Eilat (5 percent), Netanya (4.9 percent) and Bnei Brak (4.9 percent).
The number of tourists from developing countries who entered Israel since 2008 and remained illegally after their visas expired fell 5 percent from the previous year. Most came from Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Georgia, Poland, Romania and Brazil. Nearly 17 percent live in Jerusalem and about 12 percent in Tel Aviv–Jaffa.
Legal foreign population tops 260,000
Altogether, Israel is home to about 260,400 foreign residents, most of them legally present as workers, students, clergy, volunteers or family members.
About 156,000 hold valid work permits. Border control data show labor-migrant entries and exits rose 27.5 percent in 2024 compared with 2023. The largest groups are from India (22.8 percent), Thailand (21 percent), China (14 percent), the Philippines (11.6 percent), Uzbekistan (8.8 percent), Moldova (8.1 percent) and Sri Lanka (7.2 percent).
Two-thirds of foreign workers are men, especially among those from China, Turkey and Thailand, who are largely employed in construction and agriculture. Women dominate among workers from Colombia and Georgia, most of whom are in caregiving.
Caregiving accounts for 38.8 percent of foreign workers with valid permits, followed by construction (33.4 percent) and agriculture (20.8 percent).
In 2024, 112,400 foreign workers entered Israel with permits, up from 81,500 in 2023. About 61,000 workers departed during the year — a 22 percent drop from 2023, when many left in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed and kidnapped foreign laborers in communities near Gaza.
Tens of thousands on student, clergy and volunteer visas
At the end of 2024, roughly 55,200 foreign residents were in Israel on student, clergy, volunteer or accompanying family visas. About two-thirds live in Jerusalem, with smaller concentrations in Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak and Haifa.
Most students and family members came from the United States (59.6 percent) and the United Kingdom (14.1 percent). Volunteers primarily arrived from the U.S. and Germany.