Jerusalem, 12 November, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The number of foreign post-doctoral researchers working in Israel—a major Middle Eastern hub for scientific innovation—declined by 11.6% in 2025, continuing a downward trend following a 10.1% drop in 2024, according to newly released national data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
Overall, 3,115 PhD holders participated in post-doctoral fellowships at Israeli universities and research institutes in 2025, down from the 2018–2025 annual average of 3,361. While foreign participation fell, domestic researcher numbers rose by 8.5%, partially offsetting the overall contraction in academic study volume.
International fellows represented 46.5% of total researchers and hailed from over 70 countries, led predominantly by India (52.0%), China (8.9%), Germany (6.1%), and the United States (3.7%). Over half of all research focused on the natural sciences, where foreign scholars accounted for 73.0% of physical sciences positions.
