Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reviews the current status of cultural institutions in Palestine on the occasion of Palestinian Culture Day

To mark Palestinian Culture Day on 13 March, PCBS has reviewed the status of cultural institutions in Palestine in 2013. A cultural institution is defined as an institution that includes items (tools and equipment) used for arts, crafts, recreational and sports activities that facilitate the practice of cultural activities in a broad sense.

658 cultural centers in Palestine in 2013

There were 658 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2013: 575 cultural centers in the West Bank and 83 in the Gaza Strip. The highest number of cultural centers in operation was in Nablus governorate with 105 and in Hebron governorate with 82.  Cultural centers provided 9.4 thousand cultural activities in 2013: 8.9% of these activities were seminars, 10.2% lectures, 63.0% training courses, 15.9% performances, and 2.0% exhibitions. In 2012, 9.5 thousand cultural activities took place.

Lower participation in cultural activities

In 2013 502 thousand participants took part in cultural activities: 399 thousand participants in the West Bank and 103 thousand participants in the Gaza Strip. The greatest participation in cultural activities was in Bethlehem governorate with 110 thousand participants, followed by Gaza governorate with 68 thousand participants. In Tubas governorate, there were only three thousand participants. In 2012, 565 thousand participants took part in cultural activities.

81 thousand visitors to museums in 2013

There were 13 museums operating in Palestine: nine museums in the West Bank and four in the Gaza Strip. There were around 81 thousand museum visitors: 94.1% were Palestinians and 5.9% other nationalities. The results showed that the largest number of visitors was 25.5 thousand in April and the lowest number was in September with 1.6 thousand visitors. In 2012, the number of visitors to museums totaled 44 thousand.

25% of theater plays targeted at children

There were eight theaters operating in Palestine: five in the West Bank and three in the Gaza Strip.  Around 136 plays were performed in Palestine: 80 plays in the West Bank and 56 in the Gaza Strip. Of these, 25.0% of plays were for children, 49.3% were for adults, and 25.7% were for both children and adults. Palestinian actors performed in 83.1% of plays, 13.2% plays were performed by Arab actors, and 3.7% were performed by actors of several nationalities. There were around 105 thousand visitors to theaters, the highest number in January with 17.6 thousand visitors, followed by November with 14.2 thousand visitors.