ARCHIVE // PS // 2016

Gaza Strip

2016 Edition — disputed

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Communications
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 the West Bank
Internet users [time series]
total: 2.673 million (includes the West Bank) | percent of population: 57.4% (includes the West Bank) (July 2015 est.)
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]
406,500 (includes the West Bank) (July 2015 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total: 3,531,000 (includes the West Bank) | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76 (includes the West Bank) (July 2015 est.)
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
olives, fruit, vegetables, flowers; beef, dairy products
Budget [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Current account balance [time series]
-$2.894 billion (2014 est.) | -$1.412 billion (2013 est.) | note: excludes the West Bank | country comparison to the world: 158
Debt - external [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Israeli security measures and Israeli-Palestinian violence continue to degrade economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, the smaller of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories. Israeli-imposed border controls became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007. They have produced high unemployment, elevated poverty rates, and a sharp contraction of the private sector, which had relied primarily on export markets. | Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on the Gaza Strip’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network has exacerbated fuel, construction material, and consumer goods shortages in the territory. The 51-day conflict in July 2014 that HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups fought with Israel further depressed the Gaza Strip’s already aid-dependent economy. Donor support for reconstruction and relaxed Israeli import restrictions in 2014 and 2015 have fallen short of postconflict needs, with almost 100,000 people remaining internally displaced because their homes have yet to be rebuilt or repaired.
Exchange rates [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Exports [time series]
$1.343 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 149
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
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$2.938 billion (2014 est.) | note: excludes the West Bank
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
GDP - composition, by end use [time series]
household consumption: 93% | government consumption: 26.6% | investment in fixed capital: 23.8% | investment in inventories: -2.6% | exports of goods and services: 18.3% | imports of goods and services: -59.2% | note: data exclude the West Bank (2015 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]
4.7% | 13.7% | 81.6% | note: data exclude the West Bank (2014 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
see entry for the the West Bank
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
-15.2% (2014 est.) | 5.6% (2013 est.) | 7% (2012) | note: excludes the West Bank | country comparison to the world: 222
Imports [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Imports - commodities [time series]
food, consumer goods, fuel
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
3.4% see entry for the West Bank | country comparison to the world: 63
Industries [time series]
textiles, food processing, furniture
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
1.4% (2015 est.) | 1.7% (2014 est.) | note: 2.9% excludes the West Bank | country comparison to the world: 100
Labor force [time series]
1.106 million | note: excludes the West Bank (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 5.2% | industry: 10% | services: 84.8% | note: data exclude the West Bank (2015 est.)
Population below poverty line [time series]
30% | note: data exclude the 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]
$1.418 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.147 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152
Stock of narrow money [time series]
see entry for the West Bank
Unemployment rate [time series]
25.9% (2014 est.) | 26.2% (2013 est.) | note: data exclude the West Bank | country comparison to the world: 181
Energy
Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2010 es) | country comparison to the world: 144
Electricity - consumption [time series]
202,000 kWh (2009) | country comparison to the world: 217
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
Electricity access [time series]
population without electricity: 80,930 | electrification - total population: 98% | electrification - urban areas: 99% | electrification - rural areas: 93% | note: data for Gaza Strip and West Bank combined (2012)
Geography
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 [time series]
mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: 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 (2012)
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
Population distribution (Population - distribution) [time series]
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Terrain [time series]
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Gaza Strip | local long form: none | local short form: Qita' Ghazzah | etymology: named for the largest city in the region, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as "Ghazzat")
Introduction
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. 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 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. In an attempt to reenergize peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, France in June 2016 hosted a ministerial meeting that included participants from 29 countries, although not Israel or the Palestinians, to lay the groundwork for an envisioned "multilateral peace conference" later in the year.
Military and Security
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)
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 408,601/female 387,463) | 15-24 years: 21.21% (male 187,229/female 184,619) | 25-54 years: 27.56% (male 237,162/female 246,021) | 55-64 years: 3.32% (male 30,575/female 27,717) | 65 years and over: 2.51% (male 22,613/female 21,327) (2016 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
32.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
52.5% (includes Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2010)
Death rate [time series]
3.2 deaths/1,000 population (2016 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 represent Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
Drinking water source [time series]
urban: 50.7% of population | rural: 81.5% of population | total: 58.4% of population | urban: 49.3% of population | rural: 18.5% of population | total: 41.6% of population | note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
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: 17.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 18.2 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 15.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Languages [time series]
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 73.9 years | male: 72.3 years | female: 75.7 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125
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 the West Bank (2015 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]
45 deaths/100,000 live births | note: data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94
Median age [time series]
total: 16.9 years | male: 16.6 years | female: 17.2 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 224
Mother's mean age at first birth [time series]
19 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2004 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: NA | adjective: NA
Net migration rate [time series]
-5.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 195
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
2.1 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
Population [time series]
1,753,327 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153
Population distribution [time series]
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Population growth rate [time series]
2.39% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30
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]
urban: 93% of population | rural: 90.2% of population | total: 92.3% of population | urban: 7% of population | rural: 9.8% of population | total: 7.7% of population | note: includes Gaza Strip and the West Bank (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]
total: 13 years | male: 12 years | female: 14 years | note: data represent Gaza and West Bank (2014)
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female | total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.3 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 41% | male: 37% | female: 64.7% | note: includes the 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 (2010-15 est.) | note: data represent Gaza Strip and West Bank
Transnational Issues
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 September 2005
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 1,276,929 (Palestinian refugees) (2015) | IDPs: 221,000 (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)
Transportation
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 the West Bank