National religious (Dati Leumi) Jewish men carried a growing share of Israel’s reserve military burden as the Swords of Iron War continued, while the proportion borne by secular men declined substantially, according to an Israel Democracy Institute review published Thursday.
The study found that religious men were increasingly overrepresented among reservists by 2025, although secular men remained the largest single group of male reservists in an average month. Haredi participation remained extremely low.
During the broad mobilization of October-December 2023, 15.2% of religious men ages 21-44 served in an average month, compared with 11.2% each among secular and traditional men. By 2025, the rates had fallen across all groups but diverged sharply: 4.3% of religious men served in an average month, compared with 2.6% of traditional men, 1.7% of secular men and 0.3% of Haredi men.
The gap was particularly pronounced among older reservists. Religious men represented 13.1% of Jewish men ages 35-44, but 28.7% of reservists in that age group. Among men ages 21-34, they represented 15.9% of the population and 25.1% of reservists.
Women showed a different pattern. In 2023-2024, secular and traditional women were overrepresented among female reservists, while religious women were underrepresented. Women accounted for 13.5% of reservists in an average month.
This study also found higher reserve participation among men living in rural communities, particularly religious men. In 2025, 12.4% of religious men in rural localities served in an average month, compared with 3.5% in urban areas.
The Israel Defense Forces does not publish reserve-service figures by religious self-definition. Researchers instead analyzed Central Bureau of Statistics Labor Force Survey data, which included about 80,000 respondents annually in the relevant age groups. The figures measure average monthly participation rather than the total number of Israelis who served during the war.
