H.E. Dr. Ola Awad, President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) presents a brief on the status of the Palestinian people at the end of 2022

By the end of 2022, the population in Palestine on the 1967 borders had reached more than 5.4 million, with an annual increase of 2.4%. Nearly 7 million Palestinians still live in Diaspora, daydreaming of returning to their homeland. In the meanwhile, the Israeli occupation devours the land to establish more settlement units and isolate more than 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza Strip

About 14.3 million Palestinians live around the world at the end of 2022

The estimated number of Palestinians at the end of 2022 is about 14.3 million, of whom 5.4 million live in the State of Palestine, where more than the third lives in Gaza Strip. In addition, 1.7 million Palestinians live in the 1948 territories, while about 6.4 million live in Arab countries and 761 thousand live in foreign countries. The number of Jews is expected to reach 7.1 million by the end of 2022. Thus, the number of Palestinians and Jews in historic Palestine will be equal by the end of this year, when the number of Palestinians and Jews will be about 7.1 million each.

The Palestinian Population is Young; more than One-third of the Population is Less than 15 Years

The percentage of individuals aged (0-14) years constituted 38% of the total population at the end of 2022 (36% in the West Bank and 41% in Gaza Strip). The percentage of elderly population aged (65 years and above) at the end of 2022 reached 3% of the total population in Palestine (4% in the West Bank and 3% in Gaza Strip). 

A Decline in Fertility Rates

The total fertility rate during (2017 – 2019) has declined to reach 4 births compared to 5 births in 1999; 4 births in the West Bank and 4 births in Gaza Strip.

Fertility Rate in the State of Palestine, Selected Years

Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2022. Database of the Demographic and Health Survey, 2004. Ramallah - Palestine.

Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2022. Database of the Palestinian Multiple Indicator Cluster  Survey 2019-2020. Ramallah - Palestine. 

A Decline in Child and Infant Mortality Rates

The child mortality rate of children under-five years in Palestine was 14 per 1000 live births (2015-2019); 15 in the West Bank and 14 in Gaza Strip. On the other hand, infant mortality rate in Palestine reached 12 per 1000 live births; 12 in the West Bank and 13 in Gaza Strip. Data also indicated a decline in the child mortality rate during the past ten years, where this rate reached 15 children per 1000 live births.

A Decline in the Average Household Size

The average size of the Palestinian household has dropped to 5 individuals in 2021 compared to 6 individuals in 2010; 5 individuals in the West Bank and 6 individuals in Gaza Strip.

The Average Household Size in Palestine by Region, 2010-2021

Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2022. Estimates are based on the Results of the Labor Force Survey and on the Final Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2010, 2021. Ramallah - Palestine.

A Significant Increase in Smoking Rates and a Large Gap between the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Results of the Smoking and Tobacco Consumption Survey, 2021 showed that the percentage of individuals aged 18 years and above who smoke one or more products of smoked tobacco (manufactured cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes, cigars, and water- pipes) in Palestine increased to about 31% of the total individuals aged 18 years and above in 2021, while this percentage was about 23% in 2010. At the region’s level, the results of the survey indicated a large gap between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There’s a clear increase in the prevalence of smoking among individuals aged 18 and above in the West Bank,  as it reached about 40% in the West Bank compared to 17% in Gaza Strip in 2021.

Percentage of Smoking among Individuals Aged (18 Years and Above)

 by Region and Sex for the Years 2010, 2021

Unemployment, especially among graduates, is still the greatest challenge

Despite of the gradual recovery in the performance of the Palestinian economy during the first half of 2022 and the significant increase recorded in the number of employees in different economic activities, the unemployment rates are still high. The rise in unemployment rates is due to the sharp rise in the unemployment rates in Gaza Strip, where half of the participants in labour force (45%) are unemployed compared to about 14% in the West Bank. Still, the variance in unemployment rates among males and females is significant, where it reached 21% among males and 39% among female participants in the labour force. It is worth mentioning that unemployment rate reached 48% among youth graduates aged (20 – 29 years) of Intermediate Diploma holders and higher (28% in the West Bank and 73% in Gaza Strip).

The Educational Reality in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

The number of school students in the scholastic year 2021/2022 in Palestine reached 1,358,410 (672,567 males and 685,843 females), where 760,688 students are in the West Bank (373,519 males and 387,169 females), while there are 597,722 students in Gaza Strip (299,048 males and 298,674 females).

The number of students enrolled at higher education institutions in the scholastic year 2021/2022 in Palestine reached 225,975 (86,992 males and 138,983 females), where 138,754 students are in the West Bank (49,069 males and 89,685 females), while there are 87,221 students in Gaza Strip (37,923 males and 49,298 females).

The number of graduates from higher education institutions in the scholastic year 2020/2021 in Palestine reached 46,225 (16,931 males and 29,294 females), where 32,277 male and female graduates are in the West Bank (10,763 males and 21,514 females), while there are 13,948 male and female graduates in Gaza Strip (6,168 males and 7,780 females).

Continuous Israeli Aggressions and Colonization 

Within the Israeli systematic policy to uproot the Palestinians people from their land, the continuous aggressions practiced by the Israeli occupation and settlers against the Palestinian people in all localities, where the Israeli occupation demolished and destroyed 1,058 buildings in Palestine (353 residential buildings and 705 facilities), which included 93 self-demolition operations, most of which are located in Jerusalem Governorate of 88 self-demolition operations. Jerusalem governorate recorded the highest number of demolitions by 29%, which included the demolition of 128 residential buildings and 176 facilities, at a time when the Israeli occupation is building hundreds of settlement units, as more than 700 thousand settlers live in 151 settlements established on Palestinian lands in the West Bank at the end of 2021. The number of Palestinian martyrs reached 224 martyrs during 2022 and until 26 December ) 53 martyrs in Gaza Strip and 171 martyrs in the West Bank(, according to the records of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the number of prisoners languishing in the Israeli occupation prisons reached 4,700, as of the end of November 2022, according to the data of the Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs, 2022; among them are 34 female prisoners, about 150 minors, and 835 administrative detainees (including three female prisoners) and four children.