Broadcast media [time series]

1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible (2008)

Internet country code [time series]

.ps; note - same as West Bank

Internet users [time series]

total: 1,379,000 (includes West Bank) | percent of population: 34.4% (includes West Bank) (2009)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2008)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: Gaza continues to repair the damage to its telecommunications infrastructure caused by fighting in 2009 | domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company provides cellular services | international: country code - 970 (2009)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

403,118 (includes West Bank) (2014 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 3,197,550 (includes West Bank) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 117 (includes West Bank) (2014 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

1 (2008)

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

olives, fruit, vegetables, flowers; beef, dairy products

Budget [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Current account balance [time series]

(2014 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Israeli security controls imposed since the end of the second intifada have degraded economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, the smaller of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories. Israeli-imposed border closures, which became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007, have resulted in high unemployment, elevated poverty rates, and a sharp contraction of the private sector that had relied primarily on export markets. Egyptian authorities began a crackdown on Gaza’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network in 2013, creating fuel, construction material, and consumer goods shortages in the territory. Israel’s military operation in Gaza from July to August 2014 - the latest in a series of periodic conflicts between Israel and Gaza-based Palestinian militants -destroyed one-fifth of the territory’s industrial infrastructure, displaced more than 100,000 people, and left 30% of households without access to potable water. Since the conflict, Israel has allowed limited Gaza exports and relaxed some restrictions on construction material imports to assist reconstruction efforts, but the Palestinian Authority will depend on donor and humanitarian aid to finance the $4billion needed to rebuild.

Exchange rates [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Exports [time series]

(2013 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

strawberries, carnations, vegetables, fish (small and irregular shipments, as permitted to transit the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

see entry for West Bank

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

data exclude West Bank (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]

5.7% | 16.9% | 77.4% | note: data exclude West Bank (2014 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

-15% (2014 est.) | 6% (2013 est.) | 7% (2012 est.) | note: data exclude West Bank | country comparison to the world: 223

Imports [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, consumer goods, fuel

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Industries [time series]

textiles, food processing, furniture

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Labor force [time series]

1.255 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 8.4% | industry: 12.3% | services: 79.3% | note: data exclude West Bank (2013 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

39% | note: data exclude West Bank (2011 est.)

Stock of broad money [time series]

$2.356 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $2.16 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 149

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$1.147 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.168 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Stock of narrow money [time series]

see entry for West Bank

Unemployment rate [time series]

45.1% (2014 est.) | 29.5% (2013 est.) | note: data exclude West Bank | country comparison to the world: 199

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Electricity - consumption [time series]

202,000 kWh (2009) | country comparison to the world: 218

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 149

Electricity - imports [time series]

193,000 kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111

Electricity - production [time series]

51,000 kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 220

Area [time series]

total: 360 sq km | land: 360 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 206

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate [time series]

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Coastline [time series]

40 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m | highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 105 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Geographic coordinates [time series]

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip; the Gaza Strip settlements were evacuated in 2005 (2014)

Irrigated land [time series]

240 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 72 km | border countries (2): Egypt 13 km, Israel 59 km

Location [time series]

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

see entry for Israel | note: effective 3 January 2009, the Gaza maritime area is closed to all maritime traffic and is under blockade imposed by Israeli Navy until further notice

Natural hazards [time series]

droughts

Natural resources [time series]

arable land, natural gas

Terrain [time series]

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Gaza Strip | local long form: none | local short form: Qita' Ghazzah | etymology: named after the largest city in the region, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as "Ghazzat")

Background [time series]

Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., Gaza has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Gaza 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; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1994 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. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled in 2001, after which the area witnessed a violent intifada or uprising. | In early 2003, the "Quartet" of the US, EU, UN, and Russia, presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005, calling for two states. Following PA President Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political faction) as the PA president in 2005, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel by late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah and HAMAS failed and violent clashes between their respective supporters ensued, culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Israel and Egypt since HAMAS’s takeover have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Since then, Fatah and HAMAS have reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to implement them. In April 2014, the two factions signed an agreement and two months later President ABBAS formed an interim government of independent technocrats, none of whom were affiliated with HAMAS. The factions, however, continue to disagree over how to implement the deal and HAMAS remains in de facto control of the Gaza Strip. | In July 2014, HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups engaged in a 51-day conflict with Israel—the third conflict since HAMAS’s takeover in 2007—culminating in late August with an open-ended truce that continues to hold despite the absence of a negotiated cease-fire and occasional violations by both sides. Reconstruction efforts since the end of the conflict have been hampered by Israeli restrictions on goods entering the Gaza Strip and inadequate donor aid. The UN in 2015 published a study assessing that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable by 2020 absent a substantial easing on border restrictions.

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 385,961 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 335,820 | females age 16-49: 319,847 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 18,805 | female: 17,903 (2010 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

HAMAS does not have a conventional military in the Gaza Strip but maintains security forces in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing reports to the Hamas Political Bureau leadership, which remains scattered throughout the region since relocating from its Damascus headquarters in early 2012 (2015)

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 42.75% (male 410,599/female 388,473) | 15-24 years: 20.34% (male 194,798/female 185,295) | 25-54 years: 30.66% (male 293,556/female 279,471) | 55-64 years: 3.59% (male 33,843/female 33,198) | 65 years and over: 2.67% (male 20,667/female 29,155) (2015 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

31.11 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]

52.5% (includes Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2010)

Death rate [time series]

3.04 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 76% | youth dependency ratio: 70.8% | elderly dependency ratio: 5.2% | potential support ratio: 19.2% | note: data represents Gaza and the West Bank (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Ethnic groups [time series]

Palestinian Arab

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

NA

Hospital bed density [time series]

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 14.94 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 15.97 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 13.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105

Languages [time series]

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 74.87 years | male: 73.11 years | female: 76.74 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 110

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 96.5% | male: 98.4% | female: 94.5% | note: estimates are for Gaza and West Bank (2015 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

45 deaths/100,000 live births | note: data represents Gaza Strip and West Bank (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Median age [time series]

total: 18.4 years | male: 18.2 years | female: 18.6 years (2015 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: NA | adjective: NA

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 96

Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]

2.1 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

Population [time series]

1,869,055 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Population growth rate [time series]

2.81% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 13

Religions [time series]

Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0% | note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access [time series]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 13 years | male: 12 years | female: 14 years | note: data represents Gaza and West Bank (2013)

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.08 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]

total: 41% | male: 37% | female: 64.7% | note: includes West Bank (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 14

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 75.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 2.81% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.) | note: data represents Gaza Strip and West Bank

Disputes - international [time series]

the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 1,258,559 (Palestinian refugees) (2014) | IDPs: at least 263,500 (includes persons displaced within the Gaza strip due to the intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since June 2014 and other Palestinian IDPs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who fled as long ago as 1967, although confirmed cumulative data do not go back beyond 2006) (2015)

Airports [time series]

1 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 219

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 1 | over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2013)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

major seaport(s): Gaza

Roadways [time series]

note: see entry for West Bank