Background: Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip 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; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 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. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Abu Awdah (Joz Abu Awdah) 105 m

Natural resources: arable land, natural gas

Irrigated land
Note: 240 km²; note - includes the West Bank (2012)

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

Population
Distribution: population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north: 1,918,221 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 152
Growth rate: 2.13% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 39
Below poverty line: 30% (2011 est.)
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% (2012 est.)
Note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.53% (male 418,751/female 397,013)
15-24 years: 21.67% (male 210,240/female 205,385)
25-54 years: 29.47% (male 275,976/female 289,277)
55-64 years: 3.66% (male 36,409/female 33,731)
65 years and over: 2.68% (male 27,248/female 24,191) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 71.2
Youth dependency ratio: 65.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.5
Potential support ratio: 18.2 (2020 est.) data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Median age
Total: 18 years
Male: 17.7 years
Female: 18.4 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 213

Population growth rate: 2.13% (2020 est.)
Rank: 39

Birth rate: 28.6 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 37

Death rate: 3 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 224

Net migration rate: -4.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 193

Population distribution: population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north

Urbanization
Urban population: 76.7% of total population
Note:
Rate of urbanization: 3% annual rate of change

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation; desertification; water pollution from chemicals and pesticides; salination of fresh water; improper sewage treatment; water-borne disease; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 16 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.9 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 97

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.9 years
Male: 73.1 years
Female: 76.7 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 122

Total fertility rate: 3.64 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 38

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

Drinking water source
Urban: 2.9% of population
Rural: 2.9% of population
Total: 3.2% of population (2017 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Physicians density: 2.77 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0.7% of population
Total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.)
Note: note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.4% (2014)
Note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Rank: 122

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2017)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Rank: 45

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.2%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 95.7% (2018)
Note: estimates are for Gaza and the West Bank

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2013)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Country 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. (as Ghazzat)

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real: see entry for the West Bank

Real gdp growth rate:
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 222

Real gdp per capita: see entry for the the West Bank

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 88.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 26.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 22.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 18.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -55.6% (2017 est.)
Note: data exclude the West Bank

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 21.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 75% (2017 est.)
Note: data exclude the West Bank

Agriculture products: olives, fruit, vegetables, flowers; beef, dairy products

Industries: textiles, food processing, furniture

Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (2017 est.)
Note: see entry for the West Bank
Rank: 125

Labor force: 1.24 million (2017 est.)
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 133
By occupation agriculture: 5.2%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 84.8% (2015 est.)
By occupation note: data exclude the West Bank

Unemployment rate:
Note: data exclude the West Bank
Rank: 200

Population below poverty line: 30% (2011 est.)
Note: data exclude the West Bank

Budget: see entry for the West Bank

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 27

Current account balance:
Note: excludes the West Bank
Rank: 157

Exports:
Rank: 145
Commodities: strawberries, carnations, vegetables, fish (small and irregular shipments, as permitted to transit the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing)

Imports:
Rank: 115
Commodities: food, consumer goods, fuel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 156

Debt external: see entry for the West Bank

Exchange rates: see entry for the West Bank

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2018)
Access note: data for Gaza Strip and West Bank combined
Production: 51,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 218
Consumption: 202,000 kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 216
Exports: 0 kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 139
Imports: 193,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 117

Petroleum
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 136

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 472,293
Fixed lines note: (includes the West Bank); (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9
Fixed lines rank: 92
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4,135,363
Mobile cellular note: (includes the West Bank) (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76
Mobile cellular rank: 128

Broadcast media: 1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible

Internet
Country code: .psnote - same as the West Bank
Users total: 2.673 million
Users note: (includes the West Bank)
Users percent of population: 57.4% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 105

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 320,500
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2016 est.)
Note: includes West Bank
Rank: 100

Military and security forces: HAMAS does not have a conventional military in the Gaza Strip but maintains security forces in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau leadership; there are several other militant groups operating in Gaza, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestine Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2019)

Terrorist groups: Army of Islam; Abdallah Azzam Brigades; al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)-Sinai Province; Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; PFLP-General Command; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 221
With paved runways total: 1 (2019)
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With paved runways: note - non-operational

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Roadways
Note: see entry for the West Bank

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Gaza

Disputes 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: 1,460,315 (Palestinian refugees) (2020)
IDPs: 243,000 (includes persons displaced within the Gaza Strip due to the intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since June 2014 and other Palestinian IDPs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who fled as long ago as 1967, although confirmed cumulative data do not go back beyond 2006) (2019)