Brain drain: Israel’s medical exodus grows as nearly 1,400 doctors leave inside three years

In the past three years, approximately 1,370 doctors have departed Israel for a period exceeding 12 months, according to a Tel Aviv University study released on Sunday. Prof. Itai Ater, Prof. Nittai Bergman, and Doron Zamir revealed that the number of doctors who left Israel between 2023 and 2025 surged by 94% compared to the same period between 2013 and 2015. In 2023, 416 doctors left, while 2024 saw 530 departures, with an estimated 419 in 2025.

Despite accounting for doctors who returned to Israel, the country experienced a net loss of 509 doctors between 2023 and 2024, averaging around 255 doctors per year. This figure represents nearly five times the annual average of 54 doctors lost annually during the previous decade, from 2010 to 2019.

Doctors from various specialties chose to emigrate, with pediatricians, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, and ear, nose, and throat specialists seeing particularly high departure rates at 6.2%. Surgeons accounted for 6% of the departing doctors, intensive care physicians for 4.7%, and internal medicine physicians for 3.9%.

Alarming figures indicate that at least 14% of the physicians who left Israel were experienced doctors, a proportion that has nearly doubled since a decade ago when only 14% of the departing physicians were experienced. Additionally, one in five doctors who emigrated were over 45 years old.

The researchers emphasize that this trend poses a threat to the overall quality of Israel's medical care, as it may negatively impact the next generation of Israeli physicians. Prof. Ater stated, "Since 2023, the State of Israel has been losing its best people." He highlighted the direct consequences of nearly 1,400 doctors leaving, resulting in longer waiting times, less effective medical care, and ultimately, harm to the quality of life of citizens.

The researchers fear that if this trend persists, it could cause irreversible damage to Israel's resilience.