The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that 24% of the victims of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip were young people (26% males, 22% females).

The statistics said in a statement issued today, Sunday, on the occasion of the International Youth Day, which falls on August 12 of each year, that 75% of the Palestinians killed in the West Bank since October 7 are under the age of 30.

The report added that the number of those killed as a result of famine reached 34, and there are about 3,500 children at risk of death due to malnutrition and food shortages, while the number of wounded reached more than 95 thousand, 70% of whom are women and children, in addition to about 10 thousand missing.

It pointed out that based on this data, the estimated growth rate in the Gaza Strip for the year 2023 will decrease from about 2.7% according to the agency’s estimates for the year 2023 to about 1% only during the year 2024, specifically after the middle of the year, as birth and childbearing rates will decrease very significantly as a result of couples’ tendency not to have children due to the prevailing conditions, fearing for the health of mothers and children, and the decrease in the number of new marriages during the occupation’s aggression to very low levels.

The age and gender structure of the population is expected to be directly affected as a result of the occupation army’s deliberate targeting of specific population groups such as children and youth, which will lead to a distortion in the shape of the population pyramid, especially at its base. It is worth noting that there is a medium and long-term impact expected to affect the age structure of the population, represented by a decrease in the number of births in the coming years, which represent the basic base of the population pyramid, as a result of targeting the youth group that gives birth or is expected to contribute to giving birth to children in the coming years.

The report pointed out that on the eve of the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip, about 5.6 million Palestinians were residing in the State of Palestine, including 1.2 million young men and women (18-29 years old), constituting 22% of the total population in Palestine. By the end of 2023, this percentage in the West Bank reached about 22% compared to 21% in the Gaza Strip.

The report indicated that the number of martyrs since the beginning of the aggression among students enrolled in higher education institutions in Palestine has reached 653 students, 619 of them in the Gaza Strip and 34 of them in the West Bank. Meanwhile, 105 workers in higher education institutions in the Gaza Strip have been killed, while the number of wounded students enrolled in higher education institutions in Gaza has reached 1,406, 1,283 of them in the Gaza Strip and 123 in the West Bank. In addition, more than 197 students enrolled in universities in the West Bank have been arrested.

Data from the Household Survey on Information and Communications Technology, which ended on the eve of the start of the aggression on the Strip in 2023, indicated that the majority of young people use the Internet and own a smartphone, with about 97% of young people aged 18-29 using the Internet from anywhere; 99% in the West Bank and 92% in the Gaza Strip. The data also showed that 93% of young people owned a smartphone, at a rate of 99% in the West Bank and 83% in the Gaza Strip.

High percentages of young people with higher education degrees

Education is the real investment for Palestinians, given its importance on both the individual and social levels. Data for 2023 indicate that out of every 100 young men and women aged 18-29, there are 18 young men and women who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Young women are perhaps the luckiest, as 23 young women out of every 100 young women hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 14 young men. On the other hand, unemployment rates pose the greatest challenge facing young people in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as these rates in 2023 in the West Bank reached 56% among women and 34% among men. The highest unemployment rates among young people in the West Bank aged 18-29 were recorded among graduates, including those with an intermediate diploma or higher, at 48%, with a clear difference between young men and women, 34% for men and 61% for women.

In the Gaza Strip, estimates indicate that unemployment rates in the fourth quarter of 2023 reached 75%, with the highest unemployment rates among young people aged 18-29 at 95%. It is also estimated that unemployment rates among young people with an intermediate diploma or higher reached about 91%.

About 152 thousand young people work in the informal sector

The number of youth (18-29 years) working in the informal sector in the West Bank in 2023 reached 152,000, of whom 140,200 were males compared to 11,800 females. The percentage of youth working in this sector represents about 44% of the total number of youth workers in Palestine.

Half of young people are not in employment or education/training

The report indicated that 47% of youth (18-29 years) were outside the labor market and education/training (youth not engaged in work or education/training) in the West Bank in 2023; and the highest among females than males, reaching 61% for females compared to 34% for males.