Statistical information Gaza Strip 2016
Gaza Strip in the World
Gaza Strip - Introduction 2016
top of pageBackground:
Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C. Gaza has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Gaza fell to British forces during World War I becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1994 and 1999 Israel transferred to the newly-created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled in 2001 after which the area witnessed a violent intifada or uprising.
In early 2003 the 'Quartet' of the US EU UN and Russia presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005 calling for two states. Following PA President Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political faction) as the PA president in 2005 Israel and the Palestinians agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel by late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip but continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006 the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah and HAMAS failed and violent clashes between their respective supporters ensued culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since HAMAS’s takeover Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to implement them. In April 2014 the two factions signed an agreement and two months later President ABBAS formed an interim government of independent technocrats none of whom were affiliated with HAMAS. The factions however continue to disagree over how to implement the deal and HAMAS remains in de facto control of the Gaza Strip.
In July 2014 HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups engaged in a 51-day conflict with Israel — the third conflict since HAMAS’s takeover in 2007 — culminating in late August with an open-ended truce that continues to hold despite the absence of a negotiated cease-fire and occasional violations by both sides. Reconstruction efforts since the end of the conflict have been hampered by Israeli restrictions on goods entering the Gaza Strip and inadequate donor aid. The UN in 2015 published a study assessing that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable by 2020 absent a substantial easing on border restrictions. In an attempt to reenergize peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians France in June 2016 hosted a ministerial meeting that included participants from 29 countries although not Israel or the Palestinians to lay the groundwork for an envisioned 'multilateral peace conference' later in the year.
In early 2003 the 'Quartet' of the US EU UN and Russia presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005 calling for two states. Following PA President Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political faction) as the PA president in 2005 Israel and the Palestinians agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel by late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip but continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006 the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah and HAMAS failed and violent clashes between their respective supporters ensued culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since HAMAS’s takeover Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to implement them. In April 2014 the two factions signed an agreement and two months later President ABBAS formed an interim government of independent technocrats none of whom were affiliated with HAMAS. The factions however continue to disagree over how to implement the deal and HAMAS remains in de facto control of the Gaza Strip.
In July 2014 HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups engaged in a 51-day conflict with Israel — the third conflict since HAMAS’s takeover in 2007 — culminating in late August with an open-ended truce that continues to hold despite the absence of a negotiated cease-fire and occasional violations by both sides. Reconstruction efforts since the end of the conflict have been hampered by Israeli restrictions on goods entering the Gaza Strip and inadequate donor aid. The UN in 2015 published a study assessing that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable by 2020 absent a substantial easing on border restrictions. In an attempt to reenergize peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians France in June 2016 hosted a ministerial meeting that included participants from 29 countries although not Israel or the Palestinians to lay the groundwork for an envisioned 'multilateral peace conference' later in the year.
Gaza Strip - Geography 2016
top of pageLocation: Middle East bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N 34 20 E
Map reference: Middle East
Area
Total: 360 km²
Land: 360 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 206
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington DC
Land boundaries
Total: 72 km
Border countries: (2) Egypt 13 km; Israel 59 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: see entry for Israel
Note: effective 3 January 2009 the Gaza maritime area is closed to all maritime traffic and is under blockade imposed by Israeli Navy until further notice
Climate: temperate mild winters dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain: flat to rolling sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m: highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 105 m
Natural resources: arable land: natural gas
Land use
Land use
Irrigated land: 240 km²; note - includes West Bank (2012)
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards: droughts
Geography
Note: strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip; the Gaza Strip settlements were evacuated in 2005 (2014)
Gaza Strip - People 2016
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: population concentrated in major cities particularly Gaza City in the north: 1,753,327 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 153
Growth rate: 2.39% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 30
Below poverty line: 30%
Below poverty line note: data exclude the West Bank
Nationality
Noun: NA
Adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab
Languages: Arabic Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians) English (widely understood)
Religions: Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni) Christian 1.0% other unaffiliated unspecified 1.0%
Note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 45.4%
15-24 years: 21.21%
25-54 years: 27.56%
55-64 years: 3.32%
65 years and over: 2.51% (2016 est.)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 76%
Youth dependency ratio: 70.8%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.2%
Potential support ratio: 19.2% data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Median age
Total: 16.9 years
Male: 16.6 years
Female: 17.2 years
Rank: 224
Population growth rate: 2.39% (2016 est.)
Rank: 30
Birth rate: 32.3 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 33
Death rate: 3.2 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 221
Net migration rate: -5.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 195
Population distribution: population concentrated in major cities particularly Gaza City in the north
Urbanization
Urban population: 75.3% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.81% annual rate of change
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male/female
55-64 years: 1.1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female
Mothers mean age at first birth: 19
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.1 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 98
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.9 years
Male: 72.3 years
Female: 75.7 years
Rank: 125
Total fertility rate: 4.3 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 32
Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.5% (includes Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2010)
Drinking water source:
urban: 50.7% of population
rural: 81.5% of population
total: 58.4% of population
urban: 49.3% of population
rural: 18.5% of population
total: 41.6% of population
rural: 81.5% of population
total: 58.4% of population
urban: 49.3% of population
rural: 18.5% of population
total: 41.6% of population
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Current health expenditure
Physicians density: 2.1 physicians/1000 population (2013)
Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2010)
Sanitation facility access:
urban: 93% of population
rural: 90.2% of population
total: 92.3% of population
urban: 7% of population
rural: 9.8% of population
total: 7.7% of population
rural: 90.2% of population
total: 92.3% of population
urban: 7% of population
rural: 9.8% of population
total: 7.7% of population
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate
Alcohol consumption
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Education expenditures
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96.5%
Male: 98.4%
Female: 94.5%
Note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 14 years
Note: data represent Gaza and West Bank
Youth unemployment
Gaza Strip - Government 2016
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Gaza Strip
Local long form: none
Local short form: Qita' Ghazzah
Etymology: named for the largest city in the region Gaza whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C.
Government type
Capital
Administrative divisions
Dependent areas
Independence
National holiday
Constitution
Legal system
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage
Executive branch
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
Political parties and leaders
International organization participation
Diplomatic representation
Flag description
National symbols
National anthem
National heritage
Gaza Strip - Economy 2016
top of pageEconomy overview:
Israeli security measures and Israeli-Palestinian violence continue to degrade economic conditions in the Gaza Strip the smaller of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories. Israeli-imposed border controls became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007. They have produced high unemployment elevated poverty rates and a sharp contraction of the private sector which had relied primarily on export markets.
Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on the Gaza Strip’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network has exacerbated fuel construction material and consumer goods shortages in the territory. The 51-day conflict in July 2014 that HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups fought with Israel further depressed the Gaza Strip’s already aid-dependent economy. Donor support for reconstruction and relaxed Israeli import restrictions in 2014 and 2015 have fallen short of postconflict needs with almost 100,000 people remaining internally displaced because their homes have yet to be rebuilt or repaired.
Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on the Gaza Strip’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network has exacerbated fuel construction material and consumer goods shortages in the territory. The 51-day conflict in July 2014 that HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups fought with Israel further depressed the Gaza Strip’s already aid-dependent economy. Donor support for reconstruction and relaxed Israeli import restrictions in 2014 and 2015 have fallen short of postconflict needs with almost 100,000 people remaining internally displaced because their homes have yet to be rebuilt or repaired.
Real gdp purchasing power parity: see entry for the West Bank
Real gdp growth rate:
-15.2% (2014 est.)
5.6% (2013 est.)
7% (2012)
5.6% (2013 est.)
7% (2012)
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 222
Real gdp per capita: see entry for the the West Bank
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 93%
Government consumption: 26.6%
Investment in fixed capital: 23.8%
Investment in inventories: -2.6%
Exports of goods and services: 18.3%
Imports of goods and services: -59.2%
Note: data exclude the West Bank
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Of origin:
4.7%
13.7%
81.6%
13.7%
81.6%
Note: data exclude the West Bank
Agriculture products: olives fruit vegetables flowers; beef dairy products
Industries: textiles food processing furniture
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% see entry for the West Bank
Rank: 63
Labor force: 1.106 million
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 143
By occupation agriculture: 5.2%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 84.8%
By occupation note: data exclude the West Bank
Labor force
Unemployment rate:
25.9% (2014 est.)
26.2% (2013 est.)
26.2% (2013 est.)
Note: data exclude the West Bank
Rank: 181
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line: 30%
Note: data exclude the West Bank
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget: see entry for the West Bank
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer prices:
1.4% (2015 est.)
1.7% (2014 est.)
1.7% (2014 est.)
Note: 2.9% excludes the West Bank
Rank: 100
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate: see entry for the West Bank
Stock of narrow money: see entry for the West Bank
Stock of broad money:
$2.356 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$2.16 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$2.16 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Rank: 149
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.418 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.147 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.147 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 152
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance:
-$2.894 billion (2014 est.)
-$1.412 billion (2013 est.)
-$1.412 billion (2013 est.)
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 158
Exports: $1.343 billion (2013 est.)
Rank: 149
Commodities: strawberries carnations vegetables fish (small and irregular shipments as permitted to transit the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing)
Imports: see entry for the West Bank
Commodities: food consumer goods fuel
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external: see entry for the West Bank
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: see entry for the West Bank
Gaza Strip - Energy 2016
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: 80,930
Access electrification total population: 98%
Access electrification urban areas: 99%
Access electrification rural areas: 93%
Access note: data for Gaza Strip and West Bank combined
Production: 51,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 220
Consumption: 202,000 kWh (2009)
Consumption rank: 217
Exports: 0 kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 149
Imports: 193,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 111
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 144
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Gaza Strip - Communication 2016
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines: 406,500 (includes the West Bank) (July 2015 est.)
Mobile cellular total: 3,531,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76 (July 2015 est.)
Telephone system
General assessment: Gaza continues to repair the damage to its telecommunications infrastructure caused by fighting in 2009
Domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company provides cellular services
International: country code - 970
Broadcast media: 1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible (2008)
Internet
Country code: .ps; note - same as the West Bank
Users total: 2.673 million
Users percent of population: 57.4% (July 2015 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Gaza Strip - Military 2016
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Gaza Strip - Transportation 2016
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 219
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
Heliports: 1 (2013)
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Note: see entry for the West Bank
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Gaza
Gaza Strip - Transnational issues 2016
top of pageDisputes international: the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in September 2005
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 1,276,929 (Palestinian refugees) (2015)
IDPs: 221,000 (2015)
Illicit drugs
