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 2015. 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.

596 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2015

There were 596 cultural centers operating in Palestine in 2015 (549 provided data and 47 did not respond); 515 cultural centers in the West Bank (470 provided data and 45 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 89,  followed by Hebron governorate with 83. Cultural centers that responded to the review, reported providing 9 thousand cultural activities in 2015: 10.9% of these activities were seminars, 8.1% lectures, 65.5% training courses, 13.5% performances, and 2.0% exhibitions. The same number of activities was reported in 2014.

About 405 thousand people participated in cultural activities for in-operation cultural centers in Palestine in 2015

In 2015, about 405 thousand people participated in cultural activities in the operating cultural centers that responded to the questionnaire: about 310 thousand participants in the West Bank and 95 thousand participants in Gaza Strip. The highest participation in cultural activities was in the Bethlehem Governorate with about 86 thousand participants, followed by Nablus Governorate with about 45 thousand participants. In Tubas Governorate, there were only about 5 thousand participants. In 2014, about 456 thousand people participated  in cultural activities.

About 185 thousand visitors to museums in 2015

There were 31 museums operating in Palestine in 2015: 26 museums in the West Bank and 5 museums in Gaza Strip. One of the museums West Bank did not respond. There were about 185 thousand museum visitors to the museums, which provided data: 82.7% were Palestinians and 17.3% from other nationalities. The results showed that the largest number of visitors was about 56 thousand in April and the lowest number was in October with about 5 thousand visitors. In 2014, the number of visitors to museums also totaled about 185 thousand.

57.1% of theater plays were for children in 2015

There were 12 in operation theaters in Palestine: 9 in the West Bank and 3 in Gaza Strip. 154 plays were performed in Palestine in 2015: 52 plays in the West Bank and 102 in Gaza Strip. Of these, 57.1% of plays were for children, 24.7% were for adults, and 18.2% were for both children and adults. Palestinian actors performed in 98.7% of plays and 1.3% were performed by actors of other nationalities. There were visitors to theaters, the highest number in October with about 20 thousand visitors, followed by December with about 11 thousand visitor.