World Factbook
Palestine
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
99% (2022 est.)
note
note: estimates are for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
female
97% (2022 est.)
total population
98% (2022 est.)
Languages
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
major-language sample(s)
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0% (2012 est.)
note: Israel dismantled its settlements in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.01 male(s)/female
total population
1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
1.05 male(s)/female
Birth rate
26.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
2.77 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
19.3 years
total
19.9 years (2025 est.)
female
19.8 years
Population
male
1,108,222
total
2,184,652 (2025 est.)
female
1,076,430
Urbanization
note
note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
urban population
77.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
38.8% (male 427,450/female 404,288)
15-64 years
58.3% (male 627,235/female 620,903)
65 years and over
2.9% (2024 est.) (male 31,655/female 30,112)
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arab
Child marriage
note
note: includes both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
women married by age 15
0.7% (2020)
women married by age 18
13.4% (2020)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
69.6 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
64.5 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
19.7 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
5.1 (2025 est.)
Physician density
2.17 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Health expenditure
13.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Net migration rate
-3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.14 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
note
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
improved: total
total: 98.9% of population
unimproved: total
total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
5.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Infant mortality rate
male
16.3 deaths/1,000 live births
total
14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
13.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.96% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.52 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Life expectancy at birth
male
73.7 years
female
77.4 years
total population
75.5 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Sanitation facility access
note
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
improved: rural
rural: 99% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 99.8% of population
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Major urban areas - population
778,000 Gaza (2023)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
62.4% (2020 est.)
note: data includes Gaza and the West Bank
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
2.1% (2020 est.)
note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
12 years (2023 est.)
note
note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
total
13 years (2023 est.)
female
14 years (2023 est.)