Khaberni - An Israeli report on Wednesday detailed an unprecedented decline in the population growth rate within Israel, due to ongoing negative migration and declining fertility rates, marking a demographic development recorded for the first time since the establishment of the state in 1948.
According to the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the "State of the Nation 2025" report by Taub Center for Policy Research indicated that the population growth rate in Israel fell to just 0.9% in 2025, in a "precedent" since the declaration of the State of Israel, describing the data as reflecting a "disturbing demographic picture".
Negative Migration and Decline in Fertility
The report pointed out that Israel incurred a net population loss estimated at about 37,000 people, due to an exodus of residents exceeding the number of newcomers and returnees, for the second consecutive year, highlighting what it termed "reverse migration" of former immigrants, alongside an increase in Israelis leaving the country.
It clarified that this decline in growth coincides with a significant decrease in fertility rates, "although the annual number of births appeared relatively stable over the past decade".
The report predicted that by the end of the next decade, fertility rates among secular and traditional Jewish women would drop to about 1.7 children per woman, and to about 2.3 children among the religiously observant, while in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community it would drop to about 4.3 children per woman, noting similar trends within the Arab community, which could lead to an actual decrease in total births in the coming years.
According to the Broadcasting Authority, Alex Weinreb, head of the Demography Department at the Taub Center, stated: "Israel is on the verge of a new era, having moved past the peak of natural increase," affirming that "immigration policies will become a crucial factor in boosting future demographic growth" in light of the profound population shifts recorded in the report.
Nature of Migrants
Days ago, a report from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics revealed striking figures reflecting the worsening phenomenon of "brain drain", noting that 55,000 holders of Israeli academic degrees were living abroad in 2024.
The Bureau added that, last year, Israel experienced negative migration among those with scientific degrees, with a larger number of Israelis who had bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees moving abroad compared to those returning to Israel, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The newspaper detailed that the crisis is particularly acute in precise sciences, with 25.4% of PhD holders in mathematics living outside Israel, followed by fields such as computer science (21.7%), genetics (19.4%), physics (17%), and chemistry and electrical engineering and biology (around 14%).
According to 2024 statistics, 11.9% of all PhD holders and 8.1% of master's graduates live abroad.
Reasons for Migration
The Central Bureau of Statistics attributes this to political tensions, security deterioration, and government financial policies.
From a political perspective, government attempts to weaken the judiciary caused a significant rift, coinciding with "verbal attacks" by government ministers against academic institutions.
From a security standpoint, the ongoing war on Gaza for the past two years has increased uncertainty and the search for stability abroad.
Financially, the higher education sector has faced sharp cuts in its budget amounting to 700 million shekels (about 218 million US dollars).
It is noted that these transformations hold particular significance in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where demography has been a pillar of Israeli policies, whether through encouraging Jewish immigration or imposing policies of displacement and constriction on Palestinians, in an attempt to maintain a Jewish majority.
