Israel — a country of approximately ten million people — produces more IVF cycles per capita than any other nation on earth. According to 2022 data, the country performs around 50,000 IVF cycles annually. That is roughly one cycle per 200 residents. By comparison, the European average is approximately one cycle per 800–1,000 people. The difference is several-fold.
Behind this statistic lies not merely a medical culture. It is state policy rooted in a deep cultural and religious context where childbearing is viewed as a value of national importance. The result: the world's most generous public funding system for reproductive medicine, and legislation that has changed several times in response to a changing society.
The Israeli healthcare system (Kupot Holim) funds IVF cycles for women up to age 45 — until two children are born with ART assistance from the current partner. Before reaching this limit, the number of cycles is effectively unlimited — on medical indication. In practice this means a woman may undergo 8, 10 or 12 cycles at state expense if each previous attempt did not result in a live birth. This is unprecedented globally.
The UK funds up to three NHS cycles with significant restrictions. Germany covers up to three cycles at 50%. France up to six cycles until age 43. Israel: no fixed limit until two children. For single women and same-sex couples conditions differ somewhat, but the principle is the same — the state bears the primary financial burden.
In 1996 Israel became one of the first countries in the world to pass a surrogacy law. The original version was conservative: surrogacy was permitted only for heterosexual couples, and the surrogate and intended parents had to share the same religion. That last requirement — unusual even by 1990s standards — reflected the reality of a country where religion is woven into civil law.
In 2022 the law was substantially expanded. Same-sex male couples and single men gained the right to surrogacy — after years of court battles and LGBTQ+ activism. This was a fundamental breakthrough: Israel became one of the very few countries in the world where same-sex men have a legal route to parenthood through domestic surrogacy.
The surrogate must be an Israeli citizen; she cannot be genetically related to the child; she undergoes psychological and medical screening; compensation is paid at state-approved rates; every surrogacy agreement is approved by a dedicated state commission. The commission is a significant bureaucratic burden — but it also provides legal protection for all parties.
The state commission requirement means Israel's domestic surrogacy market is smaller and more regulated than those of countries that allow commercial surrogacy without strict oversight. The waiting time for a suitable surrogate can be significant.
Israel's high IVF volume has made it one of the most experienced countries in preimplantation genetic testing. PGT-A — screening embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer — is widely used and state-funded in many cases. Israeli reproductive medicine clinics rank among the most technically advanced in the world, with success rates that reflect both the volume of procedures and the sophistication of the teams.
The combination of unlimited state funding and high clinical volume creates a unique feedback loop: more cycles mean more data, more data means better protocols, and better protocols improve outcomes for everyone. This is the structural advantage that no other country has yet managed to replicate.
The state funding system applies to Israeli citizens and permanent residents. Foreign nationals who travel to Israel for treatment pay full private rates — which are competitive by international standards but not subsidised. However, the country's clinical infrastructure and legal framework for surrogacy attract international intended parents, particularly same-sex male couples from countries where domestic surrogacy is not available.
Israel is the world leader in IVF cycles per capita, the country with the most generous public coverage of reproductive treatment, and one of the few where surrogacy is legal for a broad range of people including same-sex male couples. For citizens of the country, this means real access to technologies unavailable anywhere else.
Kupot Holim — the Israeli health insurance fund system through which public funding for healthcare including IVF is channelled.
PGT-A — preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy; screening of embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer in IVF.
State Surrogacy Commission — a body in Israel that approves every surrogacy agreement before it can proceed.
ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) — the umbrella term for all medical procedures used to achieve pregnancy, including IVF and IUI.
Live birth rate — the percentage of IVF cycles that result in a live birth; the primary success metric in reproductive medicine.
Embryo transfer — the procedure of placing a fertilised and cultured embryo into the uterus during IVF.
Join thousands building families on their own terms.
Browse ProfilesMAPASGEN
Join thousands building families on their own terms.
Join Free