Demographics of the Palestinian territories

This article is about the demographic features of the population of the area which is commonly described as Palestinian territories and includes information on ethnicity, education level, health of the populous, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of that population.

According to a commonly used definition as relating to an application of the 1949 Armistice Agreement green line, the Palestinian territories have contributory parts of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. While the Palestinian National Authority, the United Nations Security Council,^[1] the United Nations General Assembly,^[2] the European Union,^[3] the International Court of Justice,^[4] and the International Committee of the Red Cross^[5] use the terminology "Palestinian territories" or "occupied Palestinian territories", Israel have preferred alternative terminology.

Overview

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) estimated that the Palestinian population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, inclusive of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel, amounted to 6.08 million people in 2014.^[6] Israeli statistics come to an approximately similar figure, counting 1,719,000 Arab citizens (inclusive of 140,000 Druze, and other Arabic-speaking groups not self-identifying as Palestinian/Arab), 2.754 million West Bank Palestinians, and 1.73 million Gazan Palestinians, which translates into the comprehensive figure of approximately 6.2 million.^[6]

At mid-year 2009 as 10.7 million persons as follows: 3.9 million in the Palestinian territories (36.6%), 1.2 million (11.5%) in Israel; 5.0 million in Arab countries (46.2%), 0.6 million in foreign countries (5.7%).^[7]

According to a 2008 article in The Guardian, using PCBS census figures, the Palestinian territories have one of the fastest growing populations in the world, with numbers surging 30% in the past decade (2008). There were 3.76 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, up from 2.89 million 10 years earlier.^[8]

According to the U.S. Census, population growth mid-1990-2008 in Gaza and West Bank was 106% from 1.9 million (1990) to 3.9 million persons.^[9]

According to the United Nations, the Palestinian population was 4.4 million in 2010.^[10] According to the PCBS, population density in 2009 was 654 capita/km², of which 433 capita/km² in the West Bank including Jerusalem and 4,073 capita/km² in Gaza Strip.^[11] In the mid-2009, the share of population less than 15 years was 41.9% and above 65 years 3%.^[11]

Population (mid-year)[12][13][14]
Year	West Bank	Gaza	Total
1970	0.69	0.34	1.03
1980	0.90	0.46	1.36
1990	1.25	0.65	1.90
2000	1.98	1.13	3.11
2010	2.52	1.60	4.12
2014	2.73	1.82	4.55
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
2006	2.5	1.5	4.0
2009	2.48	1.45	3.94
Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics

Region	Population
West Bank	2,568,555[15]
East Jerusalem	192,800[16]
Gaza Strip	1,657,155[17]

Name	Population (2007)[18]	Area (km^2)	Density[19]
West Bank	2,369,700	5,671	417.86
Gaza Strip	1,416,539	360	3934.83
Total	3,786,239	6,031	627.80

Palestinian territories[20] Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1997 2,783,084 —     1998 2,871,568 +3.18% 1999 2,962,226 +3.16% 2000 3,053,335 +3.08% 2001 3,138,471 +2.79% 2002 3,225,214 +2.76% 2003 3,314,509 +2.77% 2004 3,407,417 +2.80% 2005 3,508,126 +2.96% 2006 3,611,198 +2.94% 2007 3,719,189 +2.99% 2008 3,825,512 +2.86% 2009 3,935,249 +2.87% 2010 4,048,403 +2.88% 2011 4,168,860 +2.98% 2012 4,293,313 +2.99% 2013 4,420,549 +2.96% 2014 4,550,368 +2.94% 2015 4,682,467 +2.90%

West Bank[20] Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2012 2,649,020 —     2013 2,719,112 +2.65% 2014 2,790,331 +2.62% 2015 2,862,485 +2.59%

Gaza Strip[20] Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2012 1,644,293 —     2013 1,701,437 +3.48% 2014 1,760,037 +3.44% 2015 1,819,982 +3.41%

Vital statistics

UN estimates ^[21]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR^1	CDR^1	NC^1	TFR^1	IMR^1
1950–1955	44 000	19 000	25 000	46.7	20.0	26.7	7.38	158.2
1955–1960	49 000	19 000	30 000	46.7	18.5	28.2	7.38	147.0
1960–1965	59 000	19 000	40 000	52.5	16.8	35.7	8.00	129.9
1965–1970	60 000	16 000	43 000	52.5	14.0	38.5	8.00	109.1
1970–1975	60 000	14 000	46 000	46.6	11.2	35.4	7.69	89.8
1975–1980	67 000	13 000	54 000	47.8	8.9	38.9	7.50	70.6
1980–1985	73 000	11 000	62 000	44.6	6.8	37.8	7.05	53.0
1985–1990	83 000	11 000	72 000	45.1	5.5	39.6	6.43	40.0
1990–1995	107 000	11 000	96 000	45.6	4.8	40.8	6.59	32.9
1995–2000	118 000	12 000	106 000	42.0	4.1	37.9	5.77	27.6
2000–2005	122 000	13 000	109 000	39.1	3.8	35.3	5.05	24.6
2005–2010	128 000	14 000	115 000	35.9	3.6	32.3	4.65	22.2
^1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births

Births and deaths ^[22]

Year	Population (x1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
2010		137 085	10 764	126 231				4.4
2011		131 430	11 333	120 097
2012		129 826	11 676	118 150
2013		126 912	11 013	115 899				4.1

Population pyramids^[23]

Census (01/12/2007) (Data have not been adjusted for underenumeration. Excluding data from the parts of Jerusalem which were annexed by Israel in 1967.) 

Census (01/12/2007) :

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	1 747 284	1 696 544	3 443 828	100
0-4	266 052	253 883	519 935	15.10
5-9	239 156	227 724	466 880	13.56
10-14	238 306	227 967	466 273	13.54
15-19	211 464	202 975	414 439	12.03
20-24	158 374	151 561	309 935	9.00
25-29	128 068	124 159	252 227	7.32
30-34	108 945	106 343	215 288	6.25
35-39	90 155	86 905	177 060	5.14
40-44	81 186	75 328	156 514	4.54
45-49	60 832	56 748	117 580	3.41
50-54	41 606	41 695	83 301	2.42
55-59	32 011	30 999	63 010	1.83
60-64	22 060	25 769	47 829	1.39
65-69	13 853	19 844	33 697	0.98
70-74	12 689	16 627	29 316	0.85
75-79	8 599	12 536	21 135	0.61
80-84	4 861	6 888	11 749	0.34
85-89	2 318	3 026	5 344	0.16
90-94	871	1 133	2 004	0.06
95+	464	597	1 061	0.03
unknown	25 414	23 837	49 251	0.14

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	743 514	709 574	1 453 088	42.19
15-64	934 701	902 482	1 837 183	53.35
65+	43 655	60 651	104 306	3.03

Estimates (01/07/2013) 

Estimates (01/07/2013) :

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 245 400	2 175 149	4 420 549	100
0-4	333 246	319 213	652 459	14.76
5-9	295 678	283 886	579 564	13.11
10-14	275 428	263 679	539 107	12.20
15-19	262 267	251 710	513 977	11.63
20-24	230 888	221 790	452 678	10.24
25-29	182 448	174 730	357 178	8.08
30-34	144 721	138 652	283 373	6.41
35-39	122 846	119 333	242 179	5.48
40-44	103 233	100 276	203 509	4.60
45-49	87 969	82 580	170 549	3.86
50-54	70 535	65 239	135 774	3.07
55-59	48 912	46 910	95 822	2.17
60-64	32 353	33 581	65 934	1.49
65-69	21 985	26 414	48 399	1.09
70-74	14 201	19 831	34 032	0.77
75-79	9 344	13 728	23 072	0.52
80+	9 346	13 597	22 943	0.52

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	904 352	866 778	1 771 130	40.07
15-64	1 286 172	1 234 801	2 520 973	57.03
65+	54 876	73 570	128 446	2.91

Palestinian Central Bureau ^[24]

	fertility rate (Gaza)	birth rate (Gaza)	death rate (Gaza)	Natural change(Gaza)
1997		45.4	4.7	40.7
2000		44.5	4.3	40.2
2005		42.2	3.9	39.3
2009		36.9	4.1	32.8
2010	4.9	37.1	4.0	33.1
2011		37.2	3.9	34.3
2013		37.1	3.7	34.4

	fertility rate (West Bank)	birth rate (West Bank)	death rate (West Bank)	Natural change(West Bank)
1997		41.2	5.1	36.1
2000		38.8	4.6	34.2
2005		34.5	4.1	30.4
2009		30.1	4.4	25.7
2010	3.8	30.1	4.2	25.9
2011		30.1	4.1	26.0
2013		29.7	4.0	25.7

Demographics of the West Bank

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

2,731,052 (July 2014 est.) including East Jerusalem^[25] population in the West Bank, including Jews. 83% of the population is Palestinian Arab, 17% is Jewish.^[25]

Age structure

0–14 years: 33.7% (male 472,476/female 448,078)

15–24 years: 21.7% (male 303,578/female 289,119)

25–54 years: 36.4% (male 511,443/female 483,276)

55–64 years: 3.8% (male 59,762/female 59,372)

65 years and over: 3.8% (male 43,629/female 60,315) (2014 est.)

Population growth rate

1.99% (2014 est.)

Birth rate

24.56 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Mortality rate

3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.01 years
male: 72.97 years
female: 77.17 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.83 children born/woman (2014 est.)

• Jewish population: 5.07 children born/woman (West Bank alone)^[26]

Nationality

noun: Arabs: Palestinian

Ethnic groups

Arab (Palestinian): 83%
Israeli Jewish and other: 17%

Religions

Muslim 80–85% (predominantly Sunni; also non-denominational), Christian 1.0–2.5%, Jewish 12–14%^[25]

Languages

Arabic language, English language (compulsory in schools, widely spoken by Palestinians), Hebrew language (spoken by Israeli Jews in the West Bank, and spoken by many Palestinians)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.4%
male: 96.7%
female: 88% (2011 est.)

Demographics of the Gaza Strip

The following demographic statistics come from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

1,816,379 (July 2014 est.)^[27]

Age structure

0–14 years: 44.7% (male 343,988/female 325,856)
15–64 years: 52.7% (male 403,855/female 386,681)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 16,196/female 23,626) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate

3.422% (2008 est.)

Birth rate

39.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Mortality rate

3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total population: 22.4/1,000 live births
male: 23.48/1,000 live births
female: 21.27/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.97 years
male: 70.67 years
female: 73.34 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.18 children born/woman (2013 est.)

Nationality

noun: Palestinians
adjective: Palestinian

Ethnic groups

Arab (Palestinian) 98.7%

Religions

Muslim 98–99 % (predominantly Sunni), Christian 0.7%^[28]

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.9%
male: 96.3%
female: 87.4% (2003 est.)

See also

• Economy of the Palestinian territories
• Palestinian National Authority (PNA)
• Politics of the Palestinian National Authority
• CIA World Fact Book
• Demographics of Israel
• Population statistics for Israeli West Bank settlements

References

1. Resolution 446, Resolution 465, Resolution 484, among others
2. "Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories". United Nations. 17 December 2003. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
3. "EU-Settlements Watch" (PDF). 1 February – 31 July 2002.
4. "Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". International Court of Justice. 9 July 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
5. "Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross". International Committee of the Red Cross. 5 December 2001. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
6. Elhanan Miller,'Right-wing annexation drive fueled by false demographics, experts say,' The Times of Israel 5 January 2015.
7. Palestinians in figures 2009 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics May 2010; p. 11
8. 11.2.2008 Guardian
9. US Census Bureau International Programs International Data Base IDB West Bank and Gaza
10. Israel and Palestinian territories country profile BBC 9 March 2011
11. Palestine in Figures 2009 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, May 2010
12. US Census Bureau International Programs International Data Base IDB West Bank and Gaza
13. Palestinians in figures 2009 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics May 2010
14. Palestinians at the End of Year 2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
15. (July 2010 est.) @ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html . This data plus 1.66 million in Gaza (resulting 4.23 million) agrees with the 4.1 million figure given by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics @ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtoudRK9JlaH26B1bdZITg6iUfsQ?docId=CNG.f4fa510e3a42ad81ea91bfde88768880.331
16. Israeli settlers for (2008 est.) (July 2011 est.) [sic] estimation @ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html
17. Estimation for July 2011 @ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html . This data plus 2.57 million in the West Bank (resulting 4.23 million) agrees with the 4.1 million figure given by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics @ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtoudRK9JlaH26B1bdZITg6iUfsQ?docId=CNG.f4fa510e3a42ad81ea91bfde88768880.331
18. http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/pdf/pdf2008/Population.pdf
19. As stated in List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density, in 2010, the total density raised to 681, ranking the 20th biggest of this list.
20. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
21. World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
22. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf
23. "Demographic Yearbook". UN Data. United Nations. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
25. "CIA – The World Factbook: West Bank". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
26. Israeli CBS 2011 data
27. "CIA – The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
28. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html

External links

• CIA World Factbook
• Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, People of Palestine (Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books, 2012), ASIN: B0094TU8VY
• Demography of the Palestinian population with special emphasis on the occupied territories, 1995 paper by Arjun L. Adlakha, Kevin G. Kinsella and Marwan Khawaja. Available at Population Bulletin of ESCWA's website.