Israel Democracy Institute Finds Shifts in IDF Reserve Service Demographics During War

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) released an analysis of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reserve participation using Central Bureau of Statistics labor-force survey data spanning 2023-2025. The study shows a steady decline in overall reserve duty across all population groups, while the composition of reservists changed markedly as the Israel-Hamas war progressed.

The Jerusalem Post

National-Religious men are markedly over-represented. Although they comprise roughly 15 % of Israel’s population, 31 % of all reservists are National-Religious, more than twice their demographic share. By 2025, an average of 4.1 % of National-Religious men served each month, compared with 2.6 % of traditional men, 1.7 % of secular men, and just 0.3 % of Haredi men. In the months immediately after the October 7 massacre, the monthly participation rate for National-Religious men peaked at 15.2 %, while traditional and secular men each stood at 11.2 %. Despite the rise among National-Religious soldiers, secular men remain the largest single group of reservists on a monthly basis.

The Jerusalem Post

Women accounted for about 13.5 % of all reservists on average during 2023-2024, a figure lower than some earlier reports that suggested 18-22 %. Among women, traditional (non-religious) participants reached 6 % of the female population each month, secular women 2.0 %, and religious women only 0.7 %, indicating an inverse pattern to the male data where religious women are under-represented relative to their civilian share.

The Jerusalem Post

Reserve duty also reshaped labor-force participation by sector. In 2023, the high-tech industry saw the highest share of employees leaving work for reserve service (16.5 %), followed by business (just under 15 %) and the public sector (9.4 %). By 2025, the trend reversed: high-tech employees had the lowest participation rate at 2.3 %, with business at 3.1 % and the public sector at 2.6 %.

The Jerusalem Post

The IDI analysis highlights a growing reliance on National-Religious men for reserve manpower, a persistent shortfall of Haredi participation, and a gender gap that favors secular over religious women. Simultaneously, the war’s demands have drawn a disproportionate share of high-tech workers from the civilian economy early in the conflict, a pattern that diminished by 2025. These shifts may influence future policy discussions on reserve recruitment, societal burden distribution, and the economic cost of prolonged military engagement.

The Jerusalem Post