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Brain Drain: 12% of Israeli PhDs Live Abroad

12/18/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics finds that 12% of PhD graduates from 1990–2018 have lived abroad for three years.
The share is higher in STEM, with math PhDs above 25% and computer science PhDs 22% abroad.
The Council of Heads of Research Universities warns this brain drain threatens Israel's economy and resilience.
The war with Gaza and political unrest have driven over 125,000 relocations between early 2022 and mid-2024.

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Story summary

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics finds that 12% of PhD graduates from 1990–2018 have lived abroad for three years.
The share is higher in STEM, with math PhDs above 25% and computer science PhDs 22% abroad.
The Council of Heads of Research Universities warns this brain drain threatens Israel's economy and resilience.
The war with Gaza and political unrest have driven over 125,000 relocations between early 2022 and mid-2024.