Jerusalem Sees Population Decline While Ashkelon and Modiin Attract New Residents in 2024
In 2024, approximately 275,000 Israelis relocated between different municipalities, with an additional 380,000 changing addresses within the same locality, totaling around 655,000 people or 6.5% of the population moving homes, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. This internal migration highlights significant population shifts within Israel's cities.
Tel Aviv experienced the highest volume of migration activity, with about 21,400 people leaving and 20,700 arriving in 2024. Ramat Gan also saw substantial movement with 10,900 migrants. Givatayim had the highest turnover rate, with 144 migrants per 1,000 residents, meaning roughly 14.5% of its population either moved in or out during the year.
Most large cities in Israel, those with populations exceeding 200,000, faced a negative migration balance, where more residents left than arrived. Jerusalem led this trend, with 19,400 people leaving and only 11,500 moving in, resulting in a net loss of about 8,000 residents in 2024. This pattern continued into 2025. Despite this, Jerusalem’s overall population still grew due to natural increase. Other large cities with negative migration balances of around 2,000 people included Ashdod, Holon, Haifa, and Bnei Brak.
When measured by migration rate per 1,000 residents, smaller cities such as Efrat, Hatzor HaGlilit, and Safed showed the most significant negative migration. Conversely, Ashkelon attracted the largest number of new residents in absolute terms, gaining about 3,000 people in 2024, even amid ongoing conflict, indicating that recent tax incentives were not the sole factor in its population growth.
Modiin-Maccabim-Reut led in migration rate, adding approximately 2,200 residents, which equates to 22.5 new residents per 1,000 people. Other cities attracting many migrants included Beit Shemesh, Ramat Gan, Be’er Ya’akov, Netivot, Kiryat Ono, Or Akiva, and Herzliya.
These migration trends reveal dynamic population movements within Israel, with some cities experiencing significant inflows while others face notable outflows, reflecting changing residential preferences and urban development patterns.
