Eastern Europe
Making aliyah from Moldova
1,508 people moved from Moldova to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 51 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from Moldova specifically.
Olim in 2025
51
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
1,508
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2017
205 arrivals
Most chosen town
Haifa
196 people
Settlement concentration
25.9% of olim from Moldova registered in three towns: Haifa, Bat Yam, Ashdod. That is the 22nd most concentrated of the 23 countries with at least 1,000 olim on record.
The record
Aliyah from Moldova, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from Moldova by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Haifa196
- 2Bat Yam105
- 3Ashdod89
- 4Netanya82
- 5Ashkelon79
- 6Be'er Sheva77
- 7Kiryat Yam76
- 8Rishon LeZion69
- 9Acre67
- 10Tel Aviv-Yafo56
Age on arrival
21% arrived as children, 12% at 65 or over.
- 10-17317
- 218-24223
- 325-34280
- 435-49290
- 550-64213
- 665+185
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1Not stated260
- 2School pupil223
- 3Retired121
- 4Economist59
- 5Student56
- 6Civil engineer35
- 7Primary school teacher34
- 8Professional services29
Destination
More went to Haifa than anywhere else
196 of the 1,508 arrivals from Moldova registered in Haifa, ahead of Bat Yam, Ashdod, Netanya.
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 Moldova
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 long-established communities in Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam, Ashdod and Nof HaGalil.
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 Moldova 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 Moldova each year?+
51 in 2025, and 1,508 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2017, with 205 arrivals.
Where do olim from Moldova settle?+
Haifa takes the largest share, followed by Bat Yam, Ashdod, Netanya.
Who handles an aliyah application from Moldova?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from Moldova mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 1,508 arrivals recorded, 21% 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.