Number of British Jews moving to Israel up by 16 per cent, new figures reveal

He said: “Since October 7 we have seen a strengthening of Jewish identity, alongside a rise in antisemitic incidents and the economic reality in the UK, all of which are prompting many citizens to reconsider their future outside the country.

“On the other hand, Israel is currently offering improved conditions for new olim [immigrants], thanks to reforms led by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. These include a period of zero taxation, free higher education, housing benefits, and additional measures that significantly ease the absorption process.”

Olim are exempt from income tax on income earned abroad for 10 years. From the new year, they will also be exempt from income tax on annual Israeli earnings below around £250,000 for at least two years, dropping to around £37,500 in 2030.

Dr Jonathan Boyd, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), said: “2025 numbers are likely to be at the high end of what is the ‘normal’ range over the past 25 years, and the highest we have seen since 2009, but they are still not genuinely exceptional.”

According to a JPR survey in summer, 14 per cent of UK Jews indicated there was a good likelihood of them leaving for Israel within five years (those rating the likelihood above 5 on a scale of 10). That was the same proportion as last year, rising from 10 per cent in 2022, the year before October 7.

Those who had directly experienced antisemitism indicated a stronger likelihood than those who did not.

The number who moved to Israel this year represent more than 40 per cent above the average of 533 for January to November in the previous six years.

The latest figure for 2024 is slightly higher than that originally given by the Jewish Agency earlier this year.

In the whole of 2024, including December, 704 British Jews made aliyah – compared to 391 in 2023 when war broke out in October after the Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Bar-Noy said the WZO, Jewish Agency and other aliyah organisations had worked together to create “a supportive and accessible infrastructure for olim”.

He added: “I believe next year we will see even higher aliyah numbers, and I hope this growth will stem less from negative developments in the UK and more from the positive impact of success stories from those who have chosen to make aliyah, experienced a smooth and successful integration, and can share their positive experience.”

Boyd said this year’s increase was “unsurprising given developments in the UK over the past year or two, but it’s still too early to determine whether there will be a substantive reaction to the Manchester attack, which won’t be seen until 2026 or 2027.

“We know from survey data that the conversations happening among British Jews about aliyah have generally moved up a notch or two from where they were before October 7, but the numbers actually leaving remain low – less than 1 per cent of the Jewish population of the UK has migrated to Israel over the past five years, and evidence suggests that a similar or even larger number has moved in the opposite direction.”

The Community Security Trust (CST) has previously reported that there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK for the first six months of 2025, the second-highest total figure after the record for the same period of the previous year.