More than 18,000 people immigrated to Israel over the past year, the Aliyah and Integration Ministry said Wednesday ahead of Independence Day. It was not the easiest year Israel has experienced. Two rounds of war with Iran, the end of the fighting in Gaza and the ongoing war on the northern border certainly affected all Israelis, including the number of immigrants arriving in the country.
According to ministry data, 18,696 new immigrants arrived in Israel between May 1, 2025, and April 24, 2026. That marks a drop of about 7,000 from the 26,211 immigrants who arrived between the previous Independence Day and this year’s.
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'Not the easiest year Israel has experienced'
(Photo: Elisha Henkin/Aliyah and Integration Ministry)
The immigrants came from 103 countries. The largest group, 6,094 people, came from Russia, while 3,469 immigrated from the U.S. and 3,277 from France. They were followed, in descending order, by immigrants from Britain, Ukraine, Canada, Belarus, Georgia, Argentina, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Australia and other countries, including a small number from Zambia, Uganda, Spanish Morocco, Yemen and more.
Most immigrants who arrived this year chose to settle in the Tel Aviv and central district, 9,335 people. The southern and Jerusalem district came second with 5,490, followed by the Haifa and northern district with 3,871.
By age, the largest group consisted of young adults ages 19 to 35, with 5,935 immigrants. Another 4,746 were babies, children and teenagers ages 0 to 18, while 279 were over the age of 81. The number of immigrants who arrived as part of nuclear families of three to five people stood at 1,546, while 68 families had six members or more. Another 935 immigrants were elderly people who arrived alone.
Among adult immigrants, 1,571 work in technology and engineering, 922 are doctors or paramedical professionals, 800 are educators, 233 are artists or athletes, and the rest come from a wide range of fields, including humanities and social sciences, accounting and law, marketing, construction, food services and more.
“The thousands of immigrants who chose to come to the State of Israel over the past year are a reminder of their belief in the justice of our path and of the desire of many Jews to be part of the State of Israel, especially now,” Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said. “We continue to work to strengthen aliyah, and over the past year we continued to ease immigration procedures through professional licensing reform, tax exemptions for new immigrants, rental assistance and more.