Khaberni - The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reviewed the conditions of Palestinians at the end of 2025, and on the eve of the New Year 2026
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics provided a briefing on the situation of the Palestinian people at the end of 2025, indicating that there is statistical evidence of a humanitarian and demographic catastrophe reflecting a deep structural collapse in Palestinian society, with long-term effects on the stability of the population, development, and human rights.
Unprecedented human losses since October 7, 2023
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the number of martyrs in Palestine reached more than 72,000 since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, 98% of these martyrs in the Gaza Strip, recording the highest toll of martyrs in the history of Israeli occupation aggression on Palestine.
By the end of December 2025, the number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip reached 70,942, including 18,592 children and about 12,400 women. In addition, about 11,000 people are still missing, and the number of wounded has risen to 171,195. Since the start of the aggression, about 100,000 Palestinians have been forced to leave the Strip since the start of the aggression. Additionally, about two million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes out of about 2.2 million who were residing in the area on the eve of the Israeli occupation aggression, yet they did not escape the bombing.
In the West Bank, the escalated Israeli military operations and settler violence resulted in 1,102 martyrs and 9,034 injuries.
A 10.6% decrease in the population of the Gaza Strip over two years
These human losses and forced displacement movements directly impacted the population size; as the population estimates indicate that the population of the State of Palestine was about 5.56 million at the end of the year 2025, with about 3.43 million in the West Bank.
In contrast, the Gaza Strip experienced a sharp and unprecedented population decrease of about 254,000 people, equivalent to a 10.6% decrease compared to the population estimates before the aggression. The population of Gaza currently stands at 2.13 million inhabitants, reflecting what the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics described as a severe demographic hemorrhage resulting from killing, displacement, and deterioration of living conditions.
15.5 million Palestinians around the world
At the end of 2025, the estimated number of Palestinians worldwide reached approximately 15.49 million people. Among them, 5.56 million reside in the State of Palestine, while 1.86 million live in the territories of 1948.
The estimates also show that the number of Palestinians in the diaspora reached about 8.82 million, with 6.82 million of them in Arab countries, while the rest are distributed in other countries around the world, reflecting the extensive range of population dispersion due to political and historical coercive factors.
A young society despite the demographic bleeding
Despite the huge human losses, the Palestinian society remains a youthful society, as the population estimates by the end of 2025 indicate that the Palestinian society is characterized by a youthful age structure; as children aged (0–4 years) accounted for about 13% of the total population in the State of Palestine, 12% in the West Bank, and 14% in the Gaza Strip.
The percentage of the population under the age of 15 is about 36% of the total population (35% in the West Bank, compared to 39% in the Gaza Strip), while individuals under the age of 30 constitute about 64% of the population.
In contrast, the percentage of the elderly (aged 65 and over) did not exceed 4% of the total population, which confirms the continuation of the youthful nature of the society and the high dependency ratio within it.
Nearly complete destruction of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip
The Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has led to an almost complete collapse of the healthcare system. According to data from the World Health Organization, about 94% of healthcare facilities and hospitals in the Strip were damaged or destroyed, and only 19 hospitals out of 36 hospitals operate partially and with very limited operational capacities due to a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, exhaustion of healthcare staff, and the frequent disruption of fuel required to operate electric generators.
The number of available beds in hospitals in the Gaza Strip is currently only about 2000 beds, serving a population exceeding two million people, a very low rate, and does not meet the minimum health needs, especially in light of the significant increase in the number of wounded and sick. The estimates indicate that 40 beds are immediately threatened due to their presence in hospitals located in declared evacuation areas, in addition to the potential loss of 850 additional beds if the security conditions around healthcare facilities continue to deteriorate.
Critical health and nutritional conditions for women and children
Data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health reveals severe humanitarian consequences; there are about 60,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip exposed to severe health risks due to the absence or limitation of healthcare services, while about 155,000 pregnant and lactating women face severe difficulties accessing pre and postnatal healthcare services.
Moreover, over 70% of the population in Gaza relies on contaminated or unsafe drinking water. By July 2025, 95% of households could not access safe drinking water. The data indicates that 96% of households suffer from water insecurity, and 90% of them reported a sharp deterioration in water quality, contributing to the widespread spread of gastrointestinal diseases, particularly among children.
Educational rights collapse
The education sector faced unprecedented destruction, notably in the Gaza Strip. At the beginning of December 2025, more than 179 government schools were completely destroyed, while 218 schools were bombed or vandalized, including 118 government schools and 100 schools affiliated with UNRWA.
In the West Bank, schools faced repeated raids and demolition orders, including the demolition of Khillet Omaira Basic School in Yatta Directorate on December 1, 2025.
On the higher education level, 63 university buildings in the Gaza Strip were completely destroyed, while eight universities in the West Bank were repeatedly raided and vandalized.
The human losses in the education sector are horrifying: 18,979 students were martyred, including 18,863 in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 1,399 university students, along with 797 teachers and admins, and 241 employees in the higher education sector were martyred, reflecting a direct targeting of the education sector.
Economic collapse and record unemployment
The economic indicators for 2025 reveal an unprecedented collapse of the Palestinian economy. The gross domestic product of the Gaza Strip shrank by 84% compared to 2023, reflecting an almost total economic paralysis. In the West Bank, the gross domestic product decreased by 13%, despite a slight growth of 4.4% compared to 2024. The contraction of Gaza's economy continued in 2025, recording an additional decrease of 8.7%. Unemployment reached catastrophic levels, with the unemployment rate reaching 46% of the Palestinian workforce (28% in the West Bank and 78% in the Gaza Strip), one of the highest rates globally. The number of unemployed rose to about 650,000, confirming the depth of the economic and social crisis.
