World Factbook
West Bank
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
99% (2022 est.)
note
note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank
female
97% (2022 est.)
total population
98% (2022 est.)
Languages
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and 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 80-85% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12-14%, Christian 1-2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1% (2012 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.03 male(s)/female
total population
1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.9 male(s)/female
Birth rate
27.24 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
3.2 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
21.6 years
total
22 years (2025 est.)
female
22.1 years
Population
male
1,682,493
note
note: approximately 468,300 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2022); approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021)
total
3,310,554 (2025 est.)
female
1,628,061
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
36.7% (male 609,497/female 579,227)
15-64 years
59.5% (male 979,719/female 949,746)
65 years and over
3.9% (2024 est.) (male 59,234/female 65,946)
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arab, Jewish, other
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
68.2 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
61.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
14.8 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
6.8 (2025 est.)
Physician density
3.25 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
-3.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.44 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
note
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 98.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 2% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
5.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Infant mortality rate
male
17.5 deaths/1,000 live births
total
14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
12.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.03% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.67 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone -- between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier -- and around Jerusalem
Life expectancy at birth
male
74.4 years
female
78.8 years
total population
76.5 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 (2022 est.)
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.)
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.)