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Gaza Strip - Statistics & Facts

The Gaza Strip is a Palestinian territory of about 365 square kilometers and 2.1 million inhabitants, making it one of the world’s most densely populated regions. The narrow area of land is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza has a southern border crossing with Egypt, and the border separating Gaza and Israel is guarded by a perimeter fence.

As of 2005, the Israeli government removed all its settlements within the Gaza Strip under their unilateral disengagement plan. The following year, Hamas won legislative elections held in the Palestinian territories. After an internal conflict of power within the Palestinian political groups, Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, while The West Bank was lead by Fatah.

From 2008 onwards, in response to rocket attacks from Palestinian militants, Israel began its blockade of Gaza, causing the movements of goods and people from and into the Gaza Strip to be very restricted ever since.

The population of Gaza

The Gaza Strip has quite a young population, with most inhabitants under 15 years old. Children between five and nine were the largest population group, totaling just over 279,047. While declining over the years, the fertility rate in Gaza is still relatively high. It was reported at 6.2 children per woman in the early 2000s and has fallen to 3.38 children per woman in 2023. The life expectancy of Gazans was estimated at 72.97 years for men and 76.81 years for women.

The Israel-Hamas war 2023

Before October 2023, there had been four wars between Israel and Hamas. The current conflict is already the deadliest, and the death toll is certain to rise. The new escalation of violence in the Middle East started after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel in the early hours of October 7, 2023. An estimated 2,200 rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza toward Israeli targets, hitting civilian buildings and military facilities. Hamas fighters entered the Israeli territory, killing around 1,200 of Israeli citizens. In the weeks that followed, the Israeli military conducted an aerial bombardment and launched a ground offensive in Gaza. Humanitarian pauses allowed aid to get into Gaza, but fighting has continued since a weeklong cease-fire ended on December 1, 2023.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza

Even before the current military escalation between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza was dire, with many people struggling to afford food and shelter. The electricity supply, which Israel mainly controls, was already limited throughout the day, and Israel and Egypt controlled the import of goods into Gaza. On October 13, 2023, the Israeli military ordered residents in northern Gaza to evacuate south. Since November 19, an estimated 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza – over 82 percent of the region’s total population – have become internally displaced refugees. Further waves of displacement are likely. Explosions at hospitals, a lack of medical supplies, and restricted access to healthcare are worsening the humanitarian situation for Palestinians in Gaza.

Information on the data situation

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs collects data on the number of fatalities and injuries. The respective data sources were named for the purpose of transparency. It must be stated that objective data collection is almost impossible during wars and other conflicts, and reports are based on estimates. At the same time, it needs to be noted that some parties to the conflict may use numbers and data selectively for their own agenda.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 30, 2024

Key insights

Population density overall Gaza
5,853 people per sqm
Leading age group in Gaza
Under 19 year olds
Total population of Gaza
2.1 m
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

West Bank & Gaza: Median age of the population from 1950 to 2021, with projections until 2100 (in years)

West Bank and Gaza

Median age of the population in Palestine 1950-2100

West Bank & Gaza: distribution of employment by economic sector from 2011 to 2021

West Bank and Gaza

Employment by economic sector in Palestine 2021

West Bank & Gaza: crude birth rate from 2011 to 2021 (per 1,000 inhabitants)

West Bank and Gaza

Crude birth rate in Palestine 2011-2021

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