Gaza Strip

State of Palestine

Updated August 12, 2026

No current statistical feed covers Gaza Strip, so the figures below come from the Factbook archive and do not refresh. Each carries its own observation year.

Population

2.18 million

2025 · Factbook archive

Area

6,220 km²

mledoze/countries reference dataset

Median age

19.9 yrs

2025 · Factbook archive

CIA World Factbook map of Gaza Strip, showing major cities, rivers and neighbouring countries — Map from The World Factbook, final edition. Public domain (17 U.S.C. § 105); boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative.

Region: Middle East
Subregion: Western Asia
Area: 6,220 km²
Languages: Arabic

#149 of 238 in population #113 of 228 in life expectancy

Trends since 2000

Population +85% since 2000

2.92 million (2000) 5.41 million (2025)

GDP +298% since 2000

$4.31B (2000) $17.17B (2025)

GDP per capita +115% since 2000

$1,476 (2000) $3,171 (2025)

Inflation +251% since 2000

2.8% (2000) 9.8% (2025)

World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).

Reference

Languages: Arabic
Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP), Israeli new shekel (ILS), Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Calling code: +970
Internet TLD: .ps, فلسطين.
ISO codes: PS · PSE · 275

The Factbook archive 104 fields · 11 categories

The complete World Factbook entry for Gaza Strip: 104 fields and 139 sub-entries across 11 categories, kept whole as historical reference. A United States Government work in the public domain, reflecting data as of the final January 2026 edition. Last CIA update: January 20, 2026.

Gaza Strip and neighbouring land. Geometry: Natural Earth (public domain).

Introduction 1 field

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. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began in response to perceived Israeli provocations, and in 2001, negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel in 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land borders, maritime territorial waters, cyberspace, telecommunications, and airspace. In 2006, HAMAS won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in 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 negotiated a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces periodically exchange projectiles and air strikes, respectively, threatening broader conflict. In 2021, HAMAS launched rockets into Israel, sparking an 11-day conflict that also involved other Gaza-based militant groups. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process negotiated ceasefires, averting a broader conflict. Since 2018, HAMAS has coordinated demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel security fence. HAMAS has also stood by while other militant groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fought brief conflicts with Israel, most recently in August 2022 and May 2023.

On 7 October 2023, HAMAS militants inside the Gaza Strip launched a combined unguided rocket and ground attack into Israel. The attack began with a barrage of more than 3,000 rockets fired toward Israel from Gaza, and included thousands of terrorists infiltrating Israel by land, sea, and air via paragliders. Militants attacked military bases, clashed with security forces mostly in southern Israel, and simultaneously infiltrated civilian communities. During the attack, terrorists carried out massacres and murdered civilians, including torture, acts of abuse and rape, a massacre at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, as well as kidnapping approximately 240 civilians, including men, women, children, and soldiers. These attacks were followed soon after by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) air strikes inside Gaza. The next day, Israeli Prime Minister NETANYAHU formally declared war on Gaza. The IDF on 28 October launched a large-scale ground assault inside Gaza that is ongoing as of April 2024.

Geography 17 fields

Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 360 sq km
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries: total: 72 km
border countries: 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
Land use: agricultural land: 64.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 11.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 46.1% (2023 est.)
forest: 1.8% (2023 est.)
other: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: (2013) 151 sq km; note - includes the West Bank
Population distribution: population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Natural hazards: droughts
Geography - note: once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes

People and Society 31 fields

Population: total: 2,184,652 (2025 est.)
male: 1,108,222
female: 1,076,430
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab
Languages: Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
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: 38.8% (male 427,450/female 404,288)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 627,235/female 620,903)
65 years and over: 2.9% (2024 est.) (male 31,655/female 30,112)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 69.6 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 64.5 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 19.7 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 19.9 years (2025 est.)
male: 19.3 years
female: 19.8 years
Population growth rate: 1.96% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 26.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 2.77 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 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.)
Major urban areas - population: 778,000 Gaza (2023)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

note: data represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Infant mortality rate: total: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.5 years (2024 est.)
male: 73.7 years
female: 77.4 years
Total fertility rate: 3.14 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 1.52 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: total: total: 98.9% of population
unimproved: total: total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: 13.5% of national budget (2022 est.)

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Physician density: 2.17 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 99% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 99.8% of population
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.1% (2020 est.)

note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 62.4% (2020 est.)

note: data includes Gaza and the West Bank
Child marriage: women married by age 15: 0.7% (2020)
women married by age 18: 13.4% (2020)
Education expenditure: 5.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank
Literacy: total population: 98% (2022 est.)
male: 99% (2022 est.)
female: 97% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 13 years (2023 est.)
male: 12 years (2023 est.)
female: 14 years (2023 est.)

Environment 9 fields

Environmental issues: soil degradation; desertification; water pollution from chemicals and pesticides; salination of fresh water; improper sewage treatment; depletion and contamination of underground water resources
Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Land use: agricultural land: 64.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 11.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 46.1% (2023 est.)
forest: 1.8% (2023 est.)
other: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 77.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 3.913 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 3.913 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 31.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.387 million tons (2024 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 251 million cubic meters (2022)
industrial: 37 million cubic meters (2022)
agricultural: 158 million cubic meters (2022)
Total renewable water resources: 837 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Government 1 field

Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza, 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"); "Strip" refers to its elongated shape along the Mediterranean

Economy 28 fields

Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $20.339 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $27.694 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $29.016 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: -26.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: -4.6% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 4.1% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $3,800 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $5,400 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $5,800 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $13.711 billion (2024 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 53.7% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 5.9% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 3.7% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 5.7% (2022 est.)
industry: 17.4% (2022 est.)
services: 58.3% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 95.5% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 20.7% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 21.8% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.7% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 21% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -60.3% (2024 est.)
Agricultural products: tomatoes, milk, cucumbers/gherkins, olives, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, pumpkins/squash, grapes, goat milk (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Industries: textiles, food processing, furniture
Industrial production growth rate: -32.2% (2024 est.)

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Labor force: 1.391 million (2022 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2022: 24.5% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2021: 26.4% (2021 est.)
Unemployment rate 2020: 25.9% (2020 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 36.1% (2022 est.)
male: 31.6% (2022 est.)
female: 56.6% (2022 est.)
Population below poverty line: 29.2% (2016 est.)

note: % of population with income below national poverty line; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023: 36.4 (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% (2023 est.)
highest 10%: 27.1% (2023 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2024: 5.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 18.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 24% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget: see entry for the West Bank
Taxes and other revenues: 21.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP; entry includes West Bank and Gaza Strip
Current account balance: Current account balance 2024: -$2.899 billion (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: -$2.895 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$2.037 billion (2022 est.)
Exports: Exports 2024: $2.885 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $3.413 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $3.533 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners: Jordan 51%, Turkey 12%, UAE 8%, Saudi Arabia 5%, UK 4% (2023)

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Exports - commodities: scrap iron, tropical fruits, olive oil, building stone, prepared meat (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Imports: Imports 2024: $8.264 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $11.637 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $12.257 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners: Egypt 25%, Jordan 17%, China 8%, Germany 7%, UAE 7% (2023)

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Imports - commodities: cement, raw sugar, cars, baked goods, perfumes (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars; entry includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $1.328 billion (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $1.323 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $896.9 million (2022 est.)
Exchange rates: see entry for the West Bank

Energy 6 fields

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 352,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 6.956 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 6.925 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 988 million kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 66.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 33.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: exports: 1 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: refined petroleum consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 14.991 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Communications 6 fields

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 383,653 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 4,148,420 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2023 est.)
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
Internet users: percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 431,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2023 est.)

Military and Security 3 fields

Military and security forces: HAMAS maintains security forces inside Gaza in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing ostensibly reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau but operates with considerable autonomy; there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2025)

note: HAMAS is a US designated Foreign Terrorist Organization; see Terrorist Organizations under References
Military expenditures: not available
Military and security service personnel strengths: prior to the start of the 2023-2025 conflict with Israel, the military wing of HAMAS was estimated to have 20-30,000 fighters (2024)

Terrorism 1 field

Terrorist group(s): Army of Islam; Abdallah Azzam Brigades; al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; 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 the Terrorism reference guide

Transnational Issues 1 field

Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 2,032,011 (2024 est.)

Location