According to PCBS, there are currently about 14.5 million Palestinians in the world, in both historical Palestine and Diaspora.
On the occasion of World Population Day, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released the most updated census of the Palestinian population.
The tally included all Palestinians in historic Palestine along with an estimation of Palestinians living in the Shattat – Diaspora.
According to PCBS, there are currently about 14.5 million Palestinians in the world, in both historical Palestine and Diaspora.
Breaking down the Numbers
According to the census, 5.48 million live in the State of Palestine; 2.78 million males and 2.70 million females.
The estimated population of the West Bank is 3.25 million (1.65 million males and 1.60 million females), while the estimated population of the Gaza Strip is 2.23 million.
The percentage of individuals aged 0 to 14 years constitute 37% of the total population; of whom 35% in the West Bank and 40% in the Gaza Strip.
The percentage of the elderly population – aged 65 years and above – reached 4% of the total.
An estimated 12% of Palestinian households are headed by females in Palestine, 12% in the West Bank, and 11% in Gaza.
Education
The illiteracy rate among individuals – 15 years and above – is estimated at 2.2%.
Data for the scholastic year 2021/2022 show that the participation rate in formal education in Palestine is approximately 73%, 68% among males, and 78% among females.
As for the percentage of female students enrolled in Palestinian higher education institutions, it reached 62% out of the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions in 2021-2022, of whom about 10% are enrolled in the ICT major.
Women’s participation rate in the labor force increased in 2022 compared to 2021, where it reached about 19% out of the total number of women at work age in 2022. Notably, this percentage was 17% in 2021.
On the other hand, the unemployment rate among women was about 40%, compared to 20% among men, as of 2022.
(WAFA, PC)
How is someone reckoned as a Palestinian in the diaspora? The people in the camps can certainly be counted as Palestinians, but a person born in (e.g.) Sweden, brought up in Sweden, and only has Swedish citizenship surely is Swedish, even if that person’s ancestors were Palestinians from Palestine. It would be silly to call such a person a Palestinian, just as it would be silly to call such a person Kenyan. All of us ultimately descended from Kenyan ancestors.
A tricky case would be a person who holds Palestinian citizenship as well as Swedish citizenship. I would be inclined to count such a person as Palestinian.