Africa
Making aliyah from South Africa
3,825 people moved from South Africa to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 256 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from South Africa specifically.
Olim in 2025
256
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
3,825
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2021
559 arrivals
Most chosen town
Ra'anana
769 people
Settlement concentration
44.5% of olim from South Africa registered in three towns: Ra'anana, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Jerusalem. That is the 10th most concentrated of the 23 countries with at least 1,000 olim on record.
The record
Aliyah from South Africa, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from South Africa by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Ra'anana769
- 2Tel Aviv-Yafo484
- 3Jerusalem448
- 4Beit Shemesh365
- 5Netanya255
- 6Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut178
- 7Herzliya149
- 8Haifa78
- 9Hod HaSharon49
- 10Tel Mond47
Age on arrival
23% arrived as children, 12% at 65 or over.
- 10-17869
- 218-24916
- 325-34561
- 435-49577
- 550-64429
- 665+473
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1School pupil570
- 2Not stated529
- 3Student464
- 4Retired268
- 5Professional services108
- 6Primary school teacher74
- 7Accountant70
- 8Marketing & PR67
Destination
More went to Ra'anana than anywhere else
769 of the 3,825 arrivals from South Africa registered in Ra'anana, ahead of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh.
That is 20% of everyone arriving from South Africa, against 2.5% 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 South Africa
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Commercial flights, coordinated with the local Zionist federation.
South African olim concentrate in Ra'anana, Modi'in, Herzliya, Netanya and Jerusalem.
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 English 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 South Africa compares with everywhere else on the full statistics explorer.
An open-plan office floor of screens and desks.
Aliyah from elsewhere in Africa
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 South Africa each year?+
256 in 2025, and 3,825 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2021, with 559 arrivals.
Where do olim from South Africa settle?+
Ra'anana takes the largest share, followed by Tel Aviv-Yafo, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh. 20% of olim from South Africa settled in Ra'anana, against 2.5% of olim overall.
Who handles an aliyah application from South Africa?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from South Africa mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 3,825 arrivals recorded, 23% were children under 18 and 12% 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.