Women make up half of Palestinian population

Palestinian women hold placards and shout slogans during a rally to support women in Gaza City [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

Women make up 49.2 per cent of Palestinian society in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, figures released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) revealed yesterday.

The study found that 11 per cent of the Palestinian families were headed by women; 12.1 per cent in the occupied West Bank and nine per cent in the Gaza Strip.

4.88m

Palestinians make up the population of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip

Some 4.88 million Palestinians made up the population of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip at the end of 2016, including 2.48 million males and 2.40 million females. Based on this estimate, the PCBS said that there are 103 males for every 100 females.

Approximately one fifth of Palestinians got married before turning 18, with 62 per cent of adult women married, 6.6 per cent widowed and two per cent divorced.

Read: Israel arrested 15,000 Palestinian women since 1967

The literacy rate amongst males and females has also improved, reaching 95.2 per cent amongst females and 98.6 per cent amongst males.

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