Demographic features of the population of the area commonly described as Palestinian territories includes information on ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, 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.
The Palestinian National Authority, the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the European Union, the International Court of Justice, and the International Committee of the Red Cross use the terminology "Palestinian territories" or "occupied Palestinian territories". Israel refers to the administrative division encompassing Israeli-controlled Jewish-majority civilian areas of Area C of the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, as Judea and Samaria Area (, Ezor Yehuda VeShomron).
Overview
The demographic statistics of The World Factbook and the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics estimated that the collective Palestinian Arab population in the region of Palestine, including Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, amounted to 5.79 million people in 2017. Of these, 2.16 million Arabs live in the West Bank, 1.84 million Arabs live in Israel, and 1.79 million Arabs live in the Gaza Strip.
The demographic statistics of The World Factbook and the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics estimated (2017) that the collective population in the Palestinian territories amounted to 4,543,126 people in 2017. Thereof, 2,155,743 Arabs live in the West Bank, 1,795,183 Arabs live in the Gaza Strip, and 391,000 Jews live in the West Bank. Approximately 214,600 Jews live in East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, once administered by Jordan, came under Israeli occupation after the 1967 Six-Day War. In the Palestinian territories, c. 86% of the population is Arab (predominantly Sunni), c. 13% is Jewish, other <1% (cf. Israel: Jewish 74%, Arab 21%, other 5%).
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the number of Palestinians in the Palestinian Territory was 3,935,249 in 2009, resulting in a calculated population density of 654 capita per km2, of which 433 capita/km2 in the West Bank including Jerusalem and 4,073 capita/km2 in Gaza Strip. In the mid-2009, the share of population less than 15 years was 41.9% and above 65 years 3%.
According to the UN, the population in the State of Palestine was c. 4.9 million in 2017, resulting in an estimated population density of 817 capita per km2. However, a Census held on 1 December 2017 resulted in a total of 4,781.245. The estimate of the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics for mid 2023 showed a population total of 5,483,450.
Out of 224 listed countries and territories, the West Bank ranked 48th with a total fertility rate (TFR) of 3.2, and the Gaza Strip ranked 31st with a TFR of 3.97 according to The World Factbook in 2018. In 2018, the West Bank had an estimated population growth rate of 1.81% (country comparison to the world: 56th) and the Gaza Strip had a population growth rate of 2.25% (35th).
Vital statistics
UN estimates
Births and deaths
Population pyramids
Census (01/12/2007) :
Source:
Palestinian Central Bureau
Source:
Life expectancy
Average life expectancy at age 0 of the total population.
Demographics of the West Bank
The following demographic statistics are from The World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
Total 2,939,418 (July 2018 est.); 71.72% of the population is Arab (predominantly Sunni), 28.28% is Jewish (cf. Israel: Jewish 74%, Arab 21%, other 5%; and Gaza: Arab 99%)
Palestinian Arab 2,155,743 (July 2017 est.), 71.72%
Israeli Jew 850,481 (2016, 2020 est.), 28.28%
approximately 475,481 Israeli Jews thereof live in the West Bank (2020) approximately 375,000 Israeli Jews thereof live in East Jerusalem (2016)
Age structure
0–14 years: 36.1% (male 518,376/female 491,676)
15–24 years: 21.8% (male 302,474/female 289,852)
25–54 years: 34.5% (male 489,559/female 475,402)
55–64 years: 4.7% (male 68,317/female 64,233)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 44,662/female 53,943) (2018 est.)
Population growth rate
1.81% (2018 est.)
Birth rate
26 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Mortality rate
3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Net migration rate
-4.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)