Palestine statistics at a glance
Palestine statistics in 2025 show a population profile shaped by youth, displacement, mortality, and deep economic contraction. The numbers also show how sharply Gaza’s demographic and economic conditions differ from the West Bank, while the wider Palestinian population remains distributed across the territories, the 1948 territories, and the diaspora.
Quick facts
- The State of Palestine population reached about 5.61 million at mid-2025, including 2.8 million males and 2.7 million females (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Palestinians worldwide numbered about 15.2 million at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Palestinians in diaspora totaled about 7.8 million at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- About 6.5 million Palestinians lived in Arab countries at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- The 1948 territories were home to about 1.9 million Palestinians at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Gaza Strip population was estimated at 2,129,724 at mid-2025 after a 10% drop from the mid-2025 projection (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Output in the Palestinian territories is projected to decline by 26% in 2024 (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
- Unemployment in the Palestinian territories overall surged to 51% (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
Contents
- Population scale and distribution
- Age structure
- Casualties, injuries, and displacement
- Health system pressure
- Economic collapse by territory and sector
- What the figures show together
Population scale and distribution
The headline population figure is the simplest place to start, but the distribution matters just as much as the total. At mid-2025, the State of Palestine population was about 5.61 million, with 2.8 million males and 2.7 million females (PCBS World Population Day 2025). That near balance in the sex split still sits inside a much larger regional picture.
Palestinians worldwide numbered about 15.2 million at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Of that total, about 7.8 million lived in diaspora and about 6.5 million lived in Arab countries (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Another about 1.9 million Palestinians lived in the 1948 territories at mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). These figures make the Palestinian population a transnational population, not one concentrated in a single administrative space.
Gaza remains the most demographically stressed area in the dataset. The Gaza Strip population was estimated at 2,129,724 at mid-2025 after a 10% drop from the mid-2025 projection (PCBS World Population Day 2025). The same source also gives a later downward revision of 2,114,301 for mid-2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). A separate PCBS estimate says the Gaza population was 2,129,724, a 6% decrease from the mid-2024 projection (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Even without adding interpretation, the direction is clear: the Gaza population estimate moved down sharply across the latest revisions.
Population snapshot table
| Measure | Figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| State of Palestine population at mid-2025 | 5.61 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Males in the State of Palestine | 2.8 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Females in the State of Palestine | 2.7 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Palestinians worldwide at mid-2025 | 15.2 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Palestinians in diaspora | 7.8 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Palestinians in Arab countries | 6.5 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Palestinians in the 1948 territories | 1.9 million | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Gaza Strip population estimate | 2,129,724 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Gaza Strip revised population estimate | 2,114,301 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
Why the distribution matters
The population counts are not isolated facts. They frame every other statistic in the dataset, from dependency ratios to casualty rates and infrastructure strain. A population of 5.61 million inside the State of Palestine, alongside 15.2 million Palestinians worldwide, means demographic pressures and political realities have to be read across several geographies at once (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
Age structure
The age structure is young across the board, and especially young in Gaza. That matters because a younger population typically means more demand for schools, health services, shelter, and later labor market entry, while also creating a bigger share of people who depend on public systems that are already under stress.
Palestinians under age 30 made up 65% of the total population in Palestine (PCBS World Population Day 2025). The same age group represented 63% of the West Bank population and 68% of the Gaza Strip population (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Children aged 0-4 years were 14% of Palestine’s population, compared with 13% in the West Bank and 15% in the Gaza Strip (PCBS World Population Day 2025). People under age 15 were 37% of Palestine’s population, 35% of the West Bank population, and 40% of the Gaza Strip population (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Children under age 18 were 43% of Palestine’s population, 41% of the West Bank population, and 47% of the Gaza Strip population (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
Age comparison table
| Age group | Palestine | West Bank | Gaza Strip | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30 | 65% | 63% | 68% | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Age 0-4 | 14% | 13% | 15% | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Under 15 | 37% | 35% | 40% | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Under 18 | 43% | 41% | 47% | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
The table shows that Gaza consistently has the highest share of children and young people in every listed age band (PCBS World Population Day 2025). That makes service disruption more severe, because a larger share of the population depends on functioning schools, clinics, nutrition support, and stable household income.
What the youth profile implies
A population where 43% are under 18 across Palestine is not a small detail. It is a structural fact that shapes nearly every measurement in the rest of the data, from the number of children affected by conflict to the scale of future recovery needs (PCBS World Population Day 2025). In Gaza, the under-18 share is 47% and the under-15 share is 40%, which helps explain why child-specific harm figures are so prominent in the statistics (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
Casualties, injuries, and displacement
The most severe part of the data concerns human loss. Since October 7, 2023, more than 57,000 Palestinians had been martyred by end-June 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Those fatalities equaled 2.4% of Gaza Strip’s total population (PCBS World Population Day 2025). About 18,000 of the fatalities were children and about 12,000 were women (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
The injury count was also extremely high. About 130,000 people had been injured, with 70% women and children (PCBS World Population Day 2025). West Bank fatalities reached 990 by end-June 2025, while West Bank injuries reached 6,700 by end-June 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). The Gaza-specific scale remains much larger, but the West Bank figures still show that harm is not confined to one area.
There were also 11,000 missing persons reported by end-June 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). About 100,000 Palestinians had left Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Those two numbers point to a crisis that includes both loss of life and major population movement.
Harm indicators table
| Indicator | Figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Fatalities since October 7, 2023 | more than 57,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Fatalities as share of Gaza population | 2.4% | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Child fatalities | about 18,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Women fatalities | about 12,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Missing persons | about 11,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| People leaving Gaza since the start of the aggression | about 100,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| Injured people | about 130,000 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| West Bank fatalities | 990 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
| West Bank injuries | 6,700 | PCBS World Population Day 2025 |
A particularly stark figure is the child impact. About 39,384 children in Gaza Strip lost one or both parents after 534 days of aggression, and about 17,000 children in Gaza Strip lost both parents (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Those are not abstract social indicators. They describe a population already carrying long-term caregiving and protection burdens.
Famine is also named directly in the dataset. Famine had caused 66 martyrs by end-June 2025, and there was a stated risk of death for 14,000 infants due to malnutrition and lack of food (PCBS World Population Day 2025). That places food insecurity in the category of immediate life threat, not only economic hardship.
Displacement and family separation
About 2.13 million displaced people were reported as infected with infectious diseases, and 71,000 displaced people were infected with viral hepatitis (PCBS World Population Day 2025). These figures link movement, crowding, and health risk in the same data series. When displacement is this widespread, disease burden becomes part of the demographic story.
Health system pressure
The health statistics suggest a system under physical and human strain at the same time. More than 94% of hospitals in Gaza were destroyed or damaged by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). That level of damage affects ordinary care, emergency response, maternity services, surgery, and long-term treatment.
The transport layer of the health system was also hit. 144 ambulances were targeted and destroyed by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Medical personnel fatalities reached 1,411 by May 2025, medical personnel injuries reached 1,312, and medical personnel detainees reached 362 by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025). Those three figures matter together because health systems depend on available staff, not just standing buildings.
Health pressure snapshot
- More than 94% of hospitals in Gaza were destroyed or damaged by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- 144 ambulances were targeted and destroyed by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Medical personnel fatalities reached 1,411 by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Medical personnel injuries reached 1,312 by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- Medical personnel detainees reached 362 by May 2025 (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- About 11,000 cancer patients faced risk of death (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- 5,000 cancer patients were urgently referred abroad for diagnosis or therapy (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
- 3,000 other patients needed treatment abroad for various diseases (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
That list shows a system that is not only overloaded but also unable to keep specialized care fully inside the territory. Cancer patients, other treatment referrals, and injury care all depend on functioning transport, diagnostics, and safe access corridors (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
Economic collapse by territory and sector
The World Bank figures show that the economic damage is not broad in a vague sense. It is specific, sectoral, and much more extreme in Gaza than in the West Bank. The overall output in the Palestinian territories is projected to decline by 26% in 2024 (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). That headline number is already severe, but the territory-level breakdown is even more revealing.
Gaza’s unemployment rate reached 43.5%, while unemployment in the Palestinian territories overall surged to 51% and West Bank unemployment reached 35% (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). Before October 2023, the number of Palestinian workers in Israel was roughly 177,000 (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). That figure matters because labor market disruption is central to household income collapse.
Territory comparison table
| Metric | Gaza | West Bank | Palestinian territories | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output change in H1 2024 vs H1 2023 | -85.9% | -23.3% | n/a | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Unemployment rate | 43.5% | 35% | 51% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Population displaced in Gaza | 1.9 million | n/a | n/a | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Displacement share of Gaza population | about 90% | n/a | n/a | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
Gaza’s sector data show near-total collapse in several industries. Agriculture, forestry and fishing output fell 92.7% in H1 2024 versus H1 2023. Mining, manufacturing, electricity and water output fell 94.3%. Construction output fell 98.4%. Wholesale and retail trade output fell 96.2%. Transportation and storage output fell 96.7%. Financial and insurance activities output fell 98.4%. Information and communication output fell 91.7%. Services output fell 67.2%. Public sector output fell 87.7% (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
The West Bank also weakened, though less extremely. Agriculture, forestry and fishing output fell 10.6%. Mining, manufacturing, electricity and water output fell 28.1%. Manufacturing output fell 29.6%. Construction output fell 41.7%. Wholesale and retail trade output fell 22.4%. Transportation and storage output fell 25.8%. Financial and insurance activities output fell 14.7%. Information and communication output fell 17.1%. Services output fell 23.4%. Public sector output fell 9.6%. Total West Bank output fell 23.3% in H1 2024 versus H1 2023 (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
Gaza sector collapse table
| Sector | Output change in H1 2024 vs H1 2023 | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -92.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Mining, manufacturing, electricity and water | -94.3% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Construction | -98.4% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | -96.2% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Transportation and storage | -96.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -98.4% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Information and communication | -91.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Services | -67.2% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Public sector | -87.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Total output | -85.9% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
West Bank sector decline table
| Sector | Output change in H1 2024 vs H1 2023 | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -10.6% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Mining, manufacturing, electricity and water | -28.1% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Manufacturing | -29.6% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Construction | -41.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | -22.4% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Transportation and storage | -25.8% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -14.7% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Information and communication | -17.1% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Services | -23.4% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Public sector | -9.6% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
| Total output | -23.3% | World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024 |
The housing and shelter indicators add another layer. In Gaza, about 1.9 million people were internally displaced by mid-November 2024, which equaled about 90% of Gaza’s population (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). Households in Gaza were experiencing up to 10 displacements in 12 months, and shelters provided an average of 1.5 square meters per person (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). More than 80% of commercial facilities in Gaza had been destroyed or severely damaged, about 70% of the road network had been destroyed or severely damaged, and close to 90% of housing units had been destroyed or severely damaged (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
The economic picture in one sentence
If one number has to carry the economic story, it is the combination of a 85.9% fall in total Gaza output in H1 2024 and a 51% unemployment rate across the Palestinian territories overall (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). That pairing shows both production collapse and labor-market failure at the same time.
What the figures show together
The strongest pattern across the dataset is not any single value. It is the way population, age structure, mortality, displacement, health system damage, and economic contraction reinforce one another. A young population, high casualty counts, extensive displacement, damaged hospitals, and collapsing sectors all appear in the same statistics set (PCBS World Population Day 2025; World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).
A few contrasts stand out. Gaza has a higher share of youth than the West Bank, a much steeper output collapse, and far more severe infrastructure damage (PCBS World Population Day 2025; World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). The West Bank is also under pressure, but the depth of decline is less extreme on almost every economic measure in the dataset (World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024). Meanwhile, the population-wide numbers show that the Palestinian experience extends across the territories and the diaspora, not just within one local jurisdiction (PCBS World Population Day 2025).
For readers looking at Palestine statistics as a whole, the key takeaway is that the data describe a population under extraordinary stress while remaining demographically young and geographically dispersed. That combination is what makes the figures so consequential across public health, education, labor markets, housing, and recovery planning (PCBS World Population Day 2025; World Bank Palestinian Economic Update Dec 2024).