RAMALLAH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip surpassed 80 percent in 2025, compared with 29 percent in the West Bank, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Thursday in a statement marking the upcoming World Population Day.
The global Palestinian population reached about 15.5 million by end-2025, with some 5.6 million living in Palestinian territories, 6.8 million in Arab countries, and 1.9 million in Israel, the PCBS said.
Palestinian society remains relatively young, with those under 30 accounting for some 65 percent of the population, it said.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, more than 198,000 buildings in Gaza have been damaged, including over 102,000 completely destroyed, it said.
Some 98.5 percent of agricultural land in the enclave has lost productivity or become inaccessible, and about 101,000 children under five and 55,500 pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to face acute malnutrition in 2025-2026, it said.
World Population Day, observed annually on July 11, seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. ■
