Palestine refugee statistics at a glance
Palestinian refugee statistics are often discussed in broad political terms, but the numbers themselves show the scale of the institutions, services, and displacement patterns involved. The most recent figures in this dataset center on UNRWA’s registered population, field operations, and emergency response across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Table of contents
- Core population figures
- Where UNRWA works
- West Bank snapshot
- Syria snapshot
- Gaza emergency figures
- What the service numbers show
- Reading the statistics carefully
Core population figures
The headline number in the dataset is simple: UNRWA said it served 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees across its area of operations (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
That single figure matters because it frames every other statistic in the dataset. It is not a local count or a narrow program total. It is the size of a regional relief and service system that spans multiple fields of operation and multiple types of assistance.
A few baseline facts help situate that number:
- UNRWA was established in 1949 (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
- UNRWA operates in 5 fields of operation: Gaza, West Bank including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
- UNRWA’s mandate covers registered Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria pending a just and lasting solution (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
That combination of date, geography, and mandate shows that the statistics are not a one-off snapshot. They describe a long-running system that has to function across different political and humanitarian environments.
Health spending per registered refugee
One of the most useful comparative figures in the dataset is health expenditure per registered Palestine refugee. The agency-wide figure was US$ 27.3 (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
The field-level numbers show how uneven that spending is:
- Jordan: US$ 11.6 per registered Palestine refugee (UNRWA health department annual report 2024)
- Lebanon: US$ 68.4 per registered Palestine refugee (UNRWA health department annual report 2024)
- Syria: US$ 29.5 per registered Palestine refugee (UNRWA health department annual report 2024)
- Gaza: US$ 32.7 per registered Palestine refugee (UNRWA health department annual report 2024)
- West Bank: US$ 35.4 per registered Palestine refugee (UNRWA health department annual report 2024)
| Field | Health expenditure per registered Palestine refugee |
|---|---|
| Jordan (UNRWA health department annual report 2024) | US$ 11.6 |
| Lebanon (UNRWA health department annual report 2024) | US$ 68.4 |
| Syria (UNRWA health department annual report 2024) | US$ 29.5 |
| Gaza (UNRWA health department annual report 2024) | US$ 32.7 |
| West Bank (UNRWA health department annual report 2024) | US$ 35.4 |
The spread is wide. Lebanon sits far above the agency-wide average, while Jordan is well below it. That does not explain every operational difference by itself, but it does show that the cost of delivering health services is not uniform across fields.
Where UNRWA works
UNRWA’s field structure is central to reading Palestinian refugee statistics correctly. The dataset repeatedly separates the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, which matters because each field has a different service profile and different humanitarian conditions.
In practical terms, this means the statistics are not interchangeable. A school count in the West Bank, a health facility count in Syria, and an emergency caseload in Gaza all describe different kinds of service pressure.
West Bank snapshot
The West Bank figures are the most detailed in the dataset and give a good view of how refugee services are organized in a field operation that combines education, health, and social protection.
There were 1,149,255 registered people in the UNRWA population in the West Bank (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
Within that population, 25% lived in camps, equal to 289,875 people (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024). The field had 19 official refugee camps (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
The service network was substantial:
- 96 schools operated in the West Bank field (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 55 of those schools were in camps (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 8 registration offices were in operation (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 22 registration service points were available (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 43 primary health care facilities were in place (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 24 health centres and 19 health points were listed (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 1 hospital operated in the field (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
The staffing base is also visible in the numbers:
- 485 health staff worked in the West Bank field (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 1,483 teachers were listed (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 304 temporary teachers were listed (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
That staffing profile helps explain how the field can deliver a high volume of services. The West Bank field delivered 1,060,796 medical consultations (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
It also shows how education and social support scale together. The field enrolled 47,157 students in the 2024/25 school year (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
West Bank social and protection figures
The social protection indicators in the West Bank are especially useful because they move beyond simple headcounts.
- 28,544 girls were in the SSNP caseload (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 18,613 boys were in the SSNP caseload (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- Antenatal care reached 13,658 pregnant women (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- Child health care reached 51,771 children aged 0-5 (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 43,258 NCD patients were served (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 2,393 persons with disabilities were counted (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 9,386 disability programme beneficiaries were recorded (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 4,743 gender programme beneficiaries were recorded (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
These figures show a layered service environment. Some numbers track direct medical contact, some track caseloads, and some track longer-term social interventions. Taken together, they show that the West Bank field is not just a school-and-clinic system. It is a broad social service platform.
West Bank crisis-response pressure
The West Bank field also recorded crisis-related disruptions and interventions:
- 2,278 social work interventions were delivered through case management (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 6,327 households and 36,129 individuals were supported with social services (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 38,356 herders and Bedouins received in-kind food assistance (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 3,206 home demolitions triggered crisis intervention subsidies (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 38,297 military-operation cases triggered crisis intervention subsidies (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 479 settler-violence cases triggered crisis intervention subsidies (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
- 645 other crisis-intervention subsidy cases were recorded (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024)
Those numbers matter because they show that the West Bank field is responding to recurring shocks, not only routine service demand. The large count of military-operation cases in particular suggests that crisis response is embedded into the field’s everyday workload (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
Syria snapshot
The Syria figures show a different pattern: a large refugee population, a high degree of displacement, and a service network operating in a post-conflict context.
UNRWA served 438,000 registered Palestine refugees in Syria (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025).
Several status indicators are striking:
- 40% of Palestine refugees were internally displaced (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
- Over 90% lived below the poverty line (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
- 62% were food insecure in early 2024 (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
These numbers are important because they show how displacement and poverty compound each other. Food insecurity at 62% is not an isolated hardship statistic. It sits alongside displacement and poverty, which means service demand is likely to cut across health, shelter, and food support.
Syria service capacity
UNRWA in Syria had 22 health facilities (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025). Those facilities included 15 health centres, 7 health points, and 2 mobile clinics (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025).
The education network was similarly broad:
- 104 schools were operated (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
- More than 50,500 boys and girls were enrolled in UNRWA schools in Syria (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
- 1,700 teachers were listed (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
The return figures are also notable:
- 2,308 Palestine refugee returns to Syria were recorded in 2024, mostly from Lebanon (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
- 170,000 people returned to Syria since December 2024 (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025)
Those two numbers should be read separately. One is a 2024 return figure for Palestine refugees, while the other is a broader return total since December 2024 (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025). Keeping that distinction visible is essential when comparing movement and resettlement patterns.
Gaza emergency figures
The Gaza statistics are the most acute emergency data in the dataset. They describe scale, service disruption, and ongoing humanitarian response in the middle of war.
Gaza had about 1.9 million internally displaced people after 7 October 2023 (UNRWA health department annual report 2024). Nearly 1.286 million IDPs moved across emergency shelters, informal sites, and distribution points in Gaza (UNRWA health department annual report 2024).
The service response expanded quickly:
- More than 4.3 million health consultations were delivered in Gaza since the war started (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
- More than 120,000 children were vaccinated (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
- 1.9 million people in Gaza were reached with flour (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
- Psychosocial support activities reached around 680,000 internally displaced people (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
These are large operational numbers, but they also point to the limits of normal service delivery. The size of the displaced population, the reliance on shelters and distribution points, and the need for mass psychosocial support all indicate an emergency system under extreme pressure.
Damage and staffing loss in Gaza
The Gaza figures also show institutional damage:
- 194 colleagues were reported killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October as of early July 2024 (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
- 188 installations in Gaza had been impacted since the war started (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
- About 625,000 children in Gaza were out of school, including nearly 300,000 students enrolled in UNRWA schools (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024)
Those numbers show that the emergency is not only about the people receiving aid. It also affects the capacity of the institutions meant to provide that aid.
The funding pressure is visible too. UNRWA’s Gaza flash appeal sought US$ 1.1 billion and was nearly 21% funded as of early July 2024 (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024).
What the service numbers show
The dataset is strongest when read as a service map rather than a single population estimate. A few patterns stand out.
First, the agency works at very different scales across fields. Lebanon has the highest per-refugee health expenditure at US$ 68.4, while Jordan is at US$ 11.6 (UNRWA health department annual report 2024). That gap suggests field conditions and delivery costs are not comparable in a simple way.
Second, the West Bank combines broad education and health coverage with significant crisis response. The field’s 96 schools, 43 primary health care facilities, and more than 1 million medical consultations make it a high-throughput service system (UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024).
Third, Syria shows how displacement, poverty, and food insecurity can coexist with a functioning service network. The field still runs 104 schools and 22 health facilities, but the surrounding social indicators remain severe (UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025).
Fourth, Gaza’s figures are best understood as emergency response measurements. Health consultations, vaccinations, flour distribution, psychosocial support, displaced populations, impacted installations, and funding all belong to the same operating environment (UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024).
Reading the statistics carefully
A few cautions improve how these statistics are interpreted.
- The figures come from different UNRWA publications and years, including 2024 and 2025 source documents, so the time context matters (UNRWA health department annual report 2024; UNRWA West Bank Field factsheet 2024; UNRWA in Syria factsheet 2025; UNRWA emergency response factsheet 2024).
- Some figures are regional totals, while others are field-specific service counts, so they should not be added together without checking scope.
- Some data points describe people served, while others describe facilities, staff, or interventions. Those are different measurement types.
- Some emergency figures, especially in Gaza, capture conditions during active crisis response and are not directly comparable with routine field operations.
What makes the dataset useful is not just its size, but its structure. It lets you see the refugee population as a set of living service systems: education, health, registration, social support, emergency aid, and crisis response.
That is the clearest takeaway from the numbers. Palestinian refugee statistics are not one statistic. They are a network of totals, field counts, and emergency indicators that together describe the scale of need and the shape of the response.