Palestinian population in W. Bank, Gaza, about 4.5 million

Percentage of Palestinian population under the age of 14 constituted 40% of the total population.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinian mother and child370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian mother and child370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is now estimated at approximately 4 million, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
On the eve of International Population Day, the bureau published a statistical review that showed that the “total population of Palestine at mid- 2013 was about 4.42 million; 2.24 million males and 2.18 million females.” The estimated population of the West Bank was 2.72 million, while the estimated population of the Gaza Strip totaled 1.7 million, according to the review.
Data revealed that the Palestinian population is a young one; the percentage of individuals under the age of 14 constituted 40% of the total population at mid-2013.
People aged 65 or more constituted 2.9% of the total population – 3.2% in the West Bank and 2.4% in the Gaza Strip.
According to the bureau, the crude birth rate in the Palestinian territories is expected to drop from 32.6 births per 1,000 people in 2013 to 31.9 births in 2015. On the other hand, it expected crude death rate to decline from 3.8 deaths per 1,000 people in 2013 to 3.6 deaths in 2015.
A survey found that the total fertility rate in the Palestinian territories had declined to 4.4 births (2008-2009) compared to 6.0 births in 1997.
The results showed that nearly a quarter of people in the labor force were unemployed in the first three months of 2013 at 23.9% – 20.3% in the West Bank and 31.0% in the Gaza Strip.
Unemployment rate reached 35.3% among females compared to 21.2% among males.
The results of the review also showed that the poverty rate among Palestinian individuals was 25% – 17% in the West Bank and 38% in the Gaza Strip.
Data revealed that 12.9% of the individuals in the Palestinian territories were suffering from intense poverty in 2010.