Background: The Gaza Strip has been under the de facto governing authority of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) since 2007, and has faced years of conflict, poverty, and humanitarian crises. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip area 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.

Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 360 km²
Land: 360 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 105 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Natural resources: arable land, natural gas

Irrigated land: (2013) 151 km²; note - includes the West Bank

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 181.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 32 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 162 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Total renewable water resources: 840 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Natural hazards: droughts

Geography
Note: once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes that has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; Israel evacuated its civilian settlements and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005

Population
Distribution: population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north: 2,098,389 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.07% (2023 est.)
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)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0% (2012 est.)
Note: Israel dismantled its settlements in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.75% (male 415,804/female 394,236)
15-64 years: 57.34% (male 580,693/female 587,807)
65 years and over: 2.91% (2023 est.) (male 31,671/female 27,533)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 74.3
Youth dependency ratio: 68.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.1
Potential support ratio: 16.5 (2021 est.)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Median age
Total: 19.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 18.9 years
Female: 19.5 years

Population growth rate: 2.07% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 27.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Major urban areas
Population: 778,000 Gaza (2023)

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

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 30.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.23 megatons (2016 est.)
Note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 20 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 14.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 73 years
Female: 76.8 years

Total fertility rate: 3.38 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 57.3% (2019/20)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and West Bank

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 98.9% of population
Improved rural: 99% of population
Improved total: 98.9% of population
Unimproved urban: 1.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 1% of population
Unimproved total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density: 2.71 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:
Note: note includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Major infectious diseases
Note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; the Gaza Strip is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.1% (2019/20)
Note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2018 est.)
Note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.5%
Male: 98.8%
Female: 96.2% (2020)
Note: estimates are for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 14 years (2021)
Note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 39.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 33.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 69%
Rate ages 15 24 note: includes 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 enclave, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as "Ghazzat")

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

Real gdp growth rate:
Note: excludes the West Bank

Real gdp per capita:

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: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, poultry, milk, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, gourds

Industries: textiles, food processing, furniture

Industrial production growth rate: 6.22% (2021 est.)
Note: see entry for the West Bank

Labor force: 1.249 million (2021 est.)
Note: excludes the West Bank

Unemployment rate:
Note: data exclude the West Bank

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 39.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 33.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 69%
Rate ages 15 24 note: includes the West Bank

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

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 33.7 (2016 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $3.803 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures:

Taxes and other revenues: 18.78% (of GDP) (2018 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: excludes the West Bank

Current account balance:
Note: excludes the West Bank

Exports:
Commodities: building stone, scrap iron, plastic lids, furniture, seating, dates, olive oil (2021)
Commodities note: data includes both Gaza Strip and West Bank export commodities

Imports:
Commodities: food, consumer goods, fuel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external: see entry for the West Bank

Exchange rates: see entry for the West Bank

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Access note: data for Gaza Strip and West Bank combined
Installed generating capacity: 215,000 kW (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Consumption: 5,702,816,000 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Imports: 5.9 billion kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Transmission/distribution losses: 847 million kWh (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Refined petroleum consumption: 24,600 bbl/day (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.341 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) Data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Energy consumption per capita: 13.604 million Btu/person (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 457,706 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines note: data includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4,052,966 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

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

Internet
Country code: .ps; note - IANA has designated .ps for the Gaza Strip, same as the West Bank
Users total: 3,602,452 (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 75% (2020 est.)
Users note: includes the West Bank

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 376,911 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2020 est.)
Note: includes the West Bank

Military expenditures: not available

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; there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestine Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2023)

Terrorist groups
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 - Sinai Province (ISIS-SP); Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem; Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ); Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); PFLP-General Command
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 terrorist organizations

Airports: 1 (2021)
With paved runways: 1
With paved runways note: non-operational

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Roadways
Note: see entry for the West Bank

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Gaza

Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 1.6 million (Palestinian refugees) (2022)
IDPs: