Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

Reality of the Private and Non-government Enterprises in Palestine* 2019

145,628 enterprises were operating in the private and non-government sectors in 2019

in Palestine*

There were 145,628 enterprises in the private and non-government sectors in 2019 in Palestine (98,181 enterprises in the West Bank and 47,447 enterprises in Gaza Strip), with a growth rate of 3.8 % compared with 2018.  These enterprises are operating in different economic sectors, and distributed as follows: internal trade activities 55.2%, services 28.5%, industry 14.2%, transportation and storage 0.7%, while each of the information and communications activities and construction activities constituted 0.5%, and lastly, the finance and insurance activities constituted 0.4%.

Number of enterprises in private and non-government sectors by economic activity and region in 2019

65.0% of the total number of employees are waged employees.

There were 549,740 employed persons in economic enterprises operating in Palestine (369,290 employed persons in the West Bank and 180,450  employed persons in Gaza Strip), with a growth rate of 11.0% compared with 2018. Internal trade activities constituted the highest percentage among employees with a percentage of 39.8% of the total number of employees, while services constituted 30.4%, industry 22.1%, finance and insurance  activities were 2.7%, construction activities were 1.9%, and the percentages of the information and communications and transportation and storage activities reached 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively.

The number of employees ranged between unpaid employees (owners of the enterprises and their households members) which constituted 35.0% of the total number of employees, and wage employees, that constituted 65.0% of the total number of employees.  The total value of compensation for the wage employees reached USD 2,829.3 million.

Internal Trade Activities Constituted the Highest Value of Output of the Economic Activities in Palestine*

The total value of output by economic enterprises was USD 15,610.7 million in Palestine (USD 13,270.3 million in the West Bank and USD 2,340.4 million in Gaza Strip) with a growth rate of 7.6% compared with 2018. Internal trade activities constituted 33.5% from the total output followed by industrial activities that constituted 33.0%, services activities reached 18.2%,  finance and insurance activities reached 6.4%, information and communications reached 4.3%, while percentages of construction activities and transportation and storage activities reached 3.2% and 1.4%, respectively.

An increase of 10.6% in the value added of the economic activities in Palestine* in 2019 compared with 2018.

Results show that the total value added of economic activities in 2019 was USD 10,298.1 million with a growth rate of 10.6% compared with 2018.  The highest value added was from the internal trade activities with a percentage of 41.8%, followed by industry activities with a percentage of 22.1%, services activities with a percentage of 20.6%, finance and insurance activities with a percentage of 6.9%, information and communications activities with a percentage of 5.2%, construction 2.1%, and transportation and storage at a percentage of 1.3%.

Percentage Distribution of Value Added from Economic Enterprises Operating in the Private and Non-Government Sectors in Palestine* by Economic Activity, 2019