Eastern Europe
Making aliyah from Russia
168,317 people moved from Russia to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 8,548 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from Russia specifically.
Olim in 2025
8,548
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
168,317
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2022
45,005 arrivals
Most chosen town
Tel Aviv-Yafo
26,168 people
Settlement concentration
43.2% of olim from Russia registered in three towns: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, Netanya. That is the 13th most concentrated of the 23 countries with at least 1,000 olim on record.
The record
Aliyah from Russia, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from Russia by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Tel Aviv-Yafo26,168
- 2Haifa23,741
- 3Netanya22,803
- 4Bat Yam11,820
- 5Ashdod7,380
- 6Rishon LeZion7,296
- 7Jerusalem5,828
- 8Nahariya4,234
- 9Be'er Sheva3,946
- 10Ashkelon3,919
Age on arrival
22% arrived as children, 10% at 65 or over.
- 10-1737,002
- 218-2414,566
- 325-3429,782
- 435-4941,168
- 550-6429,297
- 665+16,502
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1School pupil23,781
- 2Not stated21,155
- 3Retired10,548
- 4Economist10,266
- 5Engineer (other)5,230
- 6Civil engineer5,135
- 7Physician4,277
- 8Student3,700
Destination
More went to Tel Aviv-Yafo than anywhere else
26,168 of the 168,317 arrivals from Russia registered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, ahead of Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam.
That is 16% of everyone arriving from Russia, against 12.3% of olim from all countries.
The town is recorded once, on arrival, so the chart above shows where people registered rather than where they live now.
How it works
The process from Russia
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
The Jewish Agency organises assisted departures, and in emergencies has run dedicated flights.
Russian-speaking olim have deep, decades-old communities in Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam, Ashdod, Nof HaGalil and Be'er Sheva, where Russian is a working street language.
Documents are the slow part everywhere: birth certificates, proof of Jewish descent, police clearance and, in most countries, apostilles. Start collecting before you open the file, not after. The full sequence is in the aliyah guide.
Arriving with Russian as your first language, ulpan is the single biggest determinant of how fast your first year goes. New olim are entitled to free Hebrew study, and the Hebrew alphabet and essential phrases pages are a no-cost head start.
Before you go
Work out what your money is worth: the cost of living page has rent, groceries and salaries in real numbers, and the shekel converter gives today's rate.
A market stall in Jerusalem with prices marked in shekels.
Check the calendar you are moving into: holiday dates close the country for whole weeks in autumn and spring, and Shabbat times govern the week.
A sesame-topped challah loaf, freshly baked.
See how Russia compares with everywhere else on the full statistics explorer.
An open-plan office floor of screens and desks.
Aliyah from elsewhere in Eastern Europe
Total arrivals 2015 to 2025, in brackets.
Start here
The move itself, in six steps
Eligibility, opening the file, the documents, the visa, landing day and the absorption benefits that follow. The guide is the same wherever you are starting from.
Frequently asked questions
How many people make aliyah from Russia each year?+
8,548 in 2025, and 168,317 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2022, with 45,005 arrivals.
Where do olim from Russia settle?+
Tel Aviv-Yafo takes the largest share, followed by Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam. 16% of olim from Russia settled in Tel Aviv-Yafo, against 12.3% of olim overall.
Who handles an aliyah application from Russia?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from Russia mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 168,317 arrivals recorded, 22% were children under 18 and 10% were 65 or over. That is a family-heavy profile.
Source: Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, published on data.gov.il. Figures count people granted oleh status on arrival. Rebuilt 2026-08-05.