The above-average birth rate in Palestine has kept the annual growth rate very high for the past few decades. Despite consistent negative net migration, the population continues to swell while the average woman in Palestine gives birth to around 4 children. The growth rate has slowed somewhat in recent years, but not by much. As of 2019, the population in Palestine was growing 2.65% annually.
The trend of declining growth rate is expected to continue in years to come. Current projections believe that the annual growth rate in Palestine will peak in 2020 at 2.68% before dropping over an entire percentage point by 2050. If these predictions prove true, the population of Palestine will be close to 5,322,629 in 2020, 6,739,073 in 2030, 8,208,074 in 2040 and 9.704,205 by 2050.
| Palestine Population (as of 10/30/2024) | 5,525,268 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 5,495,440 |
| Births per Day | 398 |
| Deaths per Day | 88 |
| Migrations per Day | -63 |
| Net Change per Day | 247 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 74,841 |
Net increase of 1 person every 5.83 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 3.62 minutes | |
| One death every 16.37 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 22.85 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 5.83 minutes |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| East Jerusalem | 428,304 |
| Gaza | 410,000 |
| Khan Yunis | 173,183 |
| Jabalya | 168,568 |
| Hebron | 160,470 |
| Nablus | 130,326 |
| Rafah | 126,305 |
| Dayr al Balah | 59,504 |
| Bayt Lahya | 56,919 |
| Tulkarm | 44,169 |
The State of Palestine claims two territories: the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The U.N. considers both regions occupied by Israel, although Palestinians do control some parts of both. Palestine is broken into Area A, which is fully governed by Palestinians; Area B, which has shared control; and Area C, which is under full Israeli control. In 2014, negotiations between Palestine and Israel failed and escalated into a war between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Israel. The entire surface area of the country is 2,402 square miles (6,220 square kilometers), which ranks 170th in the world in terms of size.
The Palestine population in Gaza and the West Bank is estimated at 4.817 million as of 2017. Using this figure, the population density of Palestine is 2,005 people per square mile (774 people per square kilometer,) which is roughly the 7th most densely populated country in the world, but this number is not official because of the border discrepancies.
Near three-quarters of people living in Palestine reside in an urban environment. As a city-state, technically Palestine is the only city within itself, although the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem are considered to be part of it. Regardless, no real data is available about metropolitan areas in Palestine because of its status as a city-state.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5,495,440 | 2.08% | 913 | 121 | 12 |
| 2023 | 5,409,200 | 2.2% | 899 | 121 | 12 |
| 2020 | 5,069,690 | 2.26% | 842 | 122 | 12 |
| 2019 | 4,957,770 | 2.21% | 824 | 123 | 12 |
| 2018 | 4,850,590 | 2.27% | 806 | 125 | 12 |
| 2017 | 4,742,740 | 2.38% | 788 | 125 | 12 |
| 2015 | 4,521,560 | 2.4% | 751 | 125 | 12 |
| 2010 | 4,016,920 | 2.46% | 667 | 126 | 13 |
| 2005 | 3,557,400 | 2.45% | 591 | 129 | 16 |
| 2000 | 3,151,790 | 3.64% | 524 | 131 | 16 |
| 1995 | 2,636,550 | 4.27% | 438 | 133 | 19 |
| 1990 | 2,139,070 | 4.15% | 355 | 137 | 22 |
| 1985 | 1,745,260 | 3.51% | 290 | 142 | 27 |
| 1980 | 1,469,060 | 2.8% | 244 | 144 | 30 |
| 1975 | 1,279,320 | 2.76% | 213 | 142 | 32 |
| 1970 | 1,116,280 | -0.55% | 185 | 142 | 35 |
| 1965 | 1,147,310 | 1.35% | 191 | 138 | 30 |
| 1960 | 1,073,080 | 1.49% | 178 | 137 | 31 |
| 1955 | 996,382 | 1.07% | 166 | 136 | 30 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5,495,440 | 2.08% | 913 | 121 | 12 |
| 2025 | 5,589,620 | 1.97% | 929 | 120 | 12 |
| 2030 | 6,122,310 | 1.84% | 1,017 | 116 | 13 |
| 2035 | 6,692,740 | 1.8% | 1,112 | 114 | 13 |
| 2040 | 7,291,830 | 1.73% | 1,211 | 113 | 13 |
| 2045 | 7,895,100 | 1.6% | 1,311 | 112 | 12 |
| 2050 | 8,451,890 | 1.37% | 1,404 | 112 | 12 |
| 2055 | 8,960,920 | 1.18% | 1,489 | 106 | 12 |
| 2060 | 9,433,000 | 1.03% | 1,567 | 104 | 11 |
| 2065 | 9,882,300 | 0.94% | 1,642 | 102 | 10 |
| 2070 | 10,284,800 | 0.8% | 1,708 | 100 | 10 |
| 2075 | 10,636,300 | 0.67% | 1,767 | 100 | 9 |
| 2080 | 10,919,000 | 0.53% | 1,814 | 99 | 8 |
| 2085 | 11,138,900 | 0.4% | 1,850 | 99 | 8 |
| 2090 | 11,292,900 | 0.27% | 1,876 | 98 | 8 |
| 2095 | 11,410,000 | 0.21% | 1,895 | 95 | 8 |
21.9
Total
21.7
Male
22.2
Female
There are people over age 18 in Palestine.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 2017 |
| 2007 | 16 December 2007 |
| 1997 | 9 December 1997 |
Palestine is a region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, although adjacent territories are sometimes considered a part of Palestine. The region is between Egypt, Arabia and Syria and it is the birthplace of Christianity and Judaism. Palestine is also known as the Land of Israel, the Promised Land and the Holy Land. The boundaries of Palestine have changed many times.
Palestine is now considered a country by the U.N. and most of its members. While it is recognized as a sovereign state, Palestine does not actually possess any land, and most of the territory called Palestine is controlled by Israel.
There are estimated to be 4.43 million Palestinians in the State of Palestine in 2014, with 1.7 million living in the Gaza Strip and 2.8 million in the West Bank. According to the UN, over 1.5 million Palestinian refugees live in camps in countries in the area, with about 4 million Palestinian refugees in neighboring countries but outside of refugee camps.
The number of Palestinians in Israel, the Occupied Gaza Strip, Occupied East Jerusalem and the Occupied West Bank is now estimated at over 5.3 million, exceeding the Jewish population of 5.2 million.
By 2035, the Jewish population in Israel/Palestine is projected to reach 46%. The Palestinian population in Palestine is growing at about 2.4% per year, which is 33% higher than Israel's growth rate. The population is also the youngest in the region, with a birth rate of over 4 children to every woman.
40% of the Palestinian population is under 14 years old, while people at least 65 years old account for just 2.9% of the population.
Islam is the predominant religion in Palestine, with nearly 85% of people practicing it in Palestine as a whole, and 99% practicing it in the Gaza Strip. The majority of Muslims in Palestine practice Shafi'i Islam. Shia Islam is common in the Gaza Strip and Ahmadiyya Islam is often found in the West Bank. Aside from Islam, 6% of Palestinians are practicing Christians of a variety of denominations. There are also pockets of Jewish people within Eastern Jerusalem. There is no official religion in Palestine and it is generally assumed that there is freedom of religion.
The economy in Palestine has no been very strong in recent years with nearly 80% of the nation's GDP coming from foreign aid. The restrictive regime of Israel and the internal divide between the West Bank and Gaza has kept the private sector from being able to flourish.
There are two competing governments within Palestine: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the latter claiming to be able to govern the former. The government of the Palestinian National Authority is a semi-presidential multi-party republic. This means that the president is the head of state, elected by popular vote, and a prime minister is appointed by the president to direct the parliament.
The region of Palestine has a long and very tumultuous history, with a strategic location and as the birthplace of major religions. It has been controlled by many groups, including the Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, early Muslims, later Muslims, modern Israelis and Palestinians. The region was one of the first in the world to see civilization.
While both Jews and Arab Muslims have claimed the land for thousands of years, today's conflict began in the start of the 20th century as Jews fleeing persecution in Europe attempted to establish a homeland in what was then a Muslim and Arab majority territory of the British Empire. The Arabs resisted. An early attempt by the U.S. to give each part of the land failed, and several wars have been fought over the region. The war of 1967 left Israel in control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which are home to large Palestinian populations.