Israel loses 1,370 doctors in three years as brain drain intensifies: Study

At least 1,370 doctors left Israel between 2023 and 2025 according to a new study by Tel Aviv University, highlighting a deepening brain drain from the country’s medical sector.

The findings were published Sunday by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The study classifies doctors as having left if they spent more than 270 days abroad during their first year away and did not subsequently remain in Israel for more than three consecutive months.

Prof. Itay Ater, one of the study’s authors, said economists had warned since 2023 of an accelerating departure of skilled professionals amid Israel’s political and security turmoil.

He said concerns first emerged during the government’s judicial overhaul push and intensified after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and the war that followed.

Researchers focused particularly on doctors over 45, who have typically completed specialist training and play a central role in training younger physicians.

One in five doctors who left Israel during the three-year period was over 45, a trend the study described as worrying.

The losses were particularly pronounced in several specialties.

Some 116 ophthalmologists, dermatologists and ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists left Israel, equivalent to 6.2% of physicians in those fields, while 188 surgeons – around 6% of the total – also departed.

The Tel Aviv area recorded the highest departure rate, with 5.4% of doctors leaving, according to the study.

The findings follow a report by the Israeli Finance Ministry last week showing that around 24% of specialist doctors in public hospitals are expected to reach retirement age in the coming years.

Another 25% have already passed retirement age but continue working amid shortages in medical staff.

Ater warned that the trajectory, rather than the current situation alone, was the greater concern, saying the trend could worsen after Israel’s general election scheduled for Oct. 27.

The study adds to broader signs of rising emigration from Israel.

Another Tel Aviv University study published in August found that 268,509 Israelis left the country between 2023 and 2025 for at least three months, a figure the Israeli public broadcaster KAN described as a record.

Israeli reports have linked the rise in departures to the war, high living costs and the political crisis surrounding the government’s efforts to weaken judicial powers.

A Kantar poll for KAN in August found that around one in five Israelis had considered emigrating over the previous two years, while 12% said the outcome of the upcoming election could affect their decision to remain in the country.