Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

reviews the status of cultural institutions in Palestine on the occasion of

Palestinian National Culture Day

To mark Palestinian National Culture Day on 13 March, PCBS has reviewed the status of cultural institutions in Palestine in 2016. A cultural institution is defined as an institution that includes items (tools and equipment) used for arts, crafts, recreational and sports activities that work for the promotion and preservation of culture and facilitate the practice of cultural activities in a broad sense.

612 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2016

There were 612 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2016 (598 provided data and 14 did not respond); 531 cultural centers in the West Bank (519 provided data and 12 did not respond) and 81 in Gaza Strip (79 provided data and 2 did not respond). The highest number of in-operation cultural centers was in the Nablus governorate with 90, followed by Bethlehem governorate with 86. Cultural centers that responded, reported providing 10 thousand cultural activities in 2016: 7.7% of these activities were seminars, 6.0% lectures, 66.6% training courses, 17.2% performances, and 2.5% exhibitions. In 2015, the number of activities was about 9 thousand.

About 583 thousand people participated in cultural activities for in-operation cultural centers in Palestine in 2016

In 2016, about 583 thousand people participated in cultural activities in the operating cultural centers that responded: about 484 thousand participants in the West Bank and 99 thousand participants in Gaza Strip. The highest participation in cultural activities was in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate with about 132 thousand participants, followed by Bethlehem Governorate with about 117 thousand participants. In Khan Yunis Governorate, there were only about 6 thousand participants. In 2015, about 405 thousand people participated  in cultural activities.

About 206 thousand visitors to museums in 2016

There were 31 museums operating in Palestine in 2016: 26 museums in the West Bank and 5 museums in Gaza Strip. Two of the museums West Bank did not respond. There were about 206 thousand museum visitors to the museums, which provided data: 77.3% were Palestinians and 22.7% from other nationalities. The results showed that the largest number of visitors was about 24 thousand in April and the lowest number was in June with about 7 thousand visitors. In 2015, the number of visitors to museums totaled about 185 thousand.

47.0% of theatre plays were for children in 2016

There were 14 in operation theaters in Palestine: 11 in the West Bank and 3 in Gaza Strip. 270 plays were performed in Palestine in 2016: 158 plays in the West Bank and 112 in Gaza Strip. Of these, 47.0% of plays were for children, 26.7% were for adults, and 26.3% were for both children and adults. Palestinian actors performed in 89.6% of plays and 10.4% were performed by actors of other nationalities. There were about 102 thousand attendances to plays, the highest number in April with about 16 thousand attendances, followed by November with about 13 thousand visitors. In 2015, the number of attendances of plays totaled about 72 thousand.