In a report issued on Wednesday, by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statics (PCBS), the projected number of Palestinians in the world was estimated at 12.37 million, of whom 4.75 million are living in Palestine, 1.47 million in Israel, 5.46 million in Arab countries, and around 685,000 in foreign countries.Israeli numbers will reach 6.34 million. However, by 2017, the total number of Palestinians and Israelis in occupied Palestine is predicted to equal out.
The report indicated, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, that there is an increase in the population of Palestinians in the world at large, noting that more than one-third are in the Gaza Strip.
The projected number of Palestinians living in Palestine, at the end of 2015, is 4.75 million; around 2.90 million are residing in the West Bank and 1.85 million are in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian refugees make up 42.8% of the Palestinian population in Palestine; 27.1% of them are in the West Bank and 67.3% are in the Gaza Strip.
The report also indicated a decline in the fertility rate during 2011-2013 to 4.1 births, compared with 6.0 births in 1997. In the Gaza Strip, the rate was 4.5 births compared to 3.7 births in the West Bank, during 2011-2013.
It also pointed to a decrease in the average household size, which was 5.2 people in 2014, compared to 6.1 in 2000; 4.9 people in the West Bank and 5.7 in Gaza.
The crude birth rate was determined, for 2015, to be 31.9 births for every 1,000 people in Palestine; 29.0 in the West Bank, compared to 36.3 in Gaza. The rate is expected to decline to 29.0 by 2020. The crude death rate among Palestinians was 3.6 deaths for every 1,000 people in Palestine, for 2015; 3.7 in the West Bank, compared to 3.4 in Gaza Strip. The rate is expected to decline to 3.4 by 2020.
The statics showed that the Palestinian population in Israeli-occupied Palestine is youthful. The number of Palestinians living in Israel is 1.47 million, at the end of 2015, and of whom about 34.8% are aged below 15 years, compared to 4.2% aged 65 years and over, for the year 2014.
The report also indicates that the fertility rate among Palestinians in Israel is higher than it is among Jews. The total fertility rate in 2014, among Palestinian women living in Israel, was 3.2 births, compared to 3.1 births among Jewish women. The average Palestinian household size in Israel was averaged at 4.7 people. The crude birth rate of Palestinians in Israel exceeded 23.8 births for every 1,000 people.
The report concluded that the number of Palestinians in historical Palestine will exceed the number of Jews, over time. It noted that the total number of Palestinians in historical Palestine will reach 6.22 million by the end of 2015. There were 6.22 million Jews at the end of 2014, according to estimates by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, and the number is expected to reach 6.34 million Jews by the end of 2015. The number of Palestinians and Jews is predicted to be equal before the end of 2017. However, the number of Palestinians in historical Palestine, at this rate, will likely total 7.13 million compared to 6.96 million Jews, by the end of 2020.
