Fewer Jews immigrated to Israel in 2025, but a new government report released Sunday shows a sharp shift in where new immigrants are coming from, with a growing share arriving from Western countries.
The Aliyah and Integration Ministry said 22,522 people immigrated to Israel in 2025, about 10,000 fewer than in 2024. But immigration from countries including the United States, France, Britain and Canada rose 25%, increasing Western immigrants’ share of total arrivals from 21% in 2024 to 38% in 2025.
New arrivals from the United States land at Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The sharpest increase was among French Jews. Immigration from the United States also rose, with 3,781 American Jews moving to Israel.
The report said more immigrants are young families or single young adults, including professionals in fields needed by the Israeli economy. About one-third of immigrants were ages 18 to 35, rising to 40% among those from Western countries.
The ministry said the trend may reflect young Jews’ confidence in Israel’s future despite the war and rising tensions on campuses abroad. The share of students among immigrants rose by 3 percentage points. In the 2024-25 academic year, 5,535 students classified as new immigrants studied in Israeli institutions, mainly at Reichman University, Bar-Ilan University, Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University.
The number of immigrants who came to serve in the IDF fell by several hundred, though 3,165 new immigrants enlisted. Men made up 61% of them, and 43% were lone soldiers, mostly from the United States, Russia, Ethiopia, Ukraine and France.
The report also said 541 doctors immigrated to Israel in 2025, and 25 scientists were absorbed through various programs. The ministry found that 62% of immigrants from 2025 were employed, and 82% of those held full-time jobs.
Young immigrants are also finding work more quickly, the report said. The leading cities for new immigrants overall were Tel Aviv, Netanya, Jerusalem and Haifa, while immigrants from Western countries mainly chose Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Ra’anana.
“Even during the challenging security period Israel is going through, thousands of Jews chose to immigrate to Israel precisely now,” Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said. “The data show that aliyah continues to be one of Israel’s most important engines of growth. The immigrants strengthen the economy, the health system, academia, the security establishment and communities across the country.”