The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said that 321,000 citizens in the State of Palestine are elderly (over 60 years old), constituting 6% of the total population, which is 5.6 million.

The statistics stated in a statement issued today, Tuesday, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, that 6% of the population in the West Bank are elderly, compared to 5% in the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that there is an expected increase in the number of elderly people in Palestine during the coming years, but he expects their percentage to remain low and stable, as it will not exceed 6% during the years of the current decade, and it is likely that this percentage will begin to rise after the middle of the next decade.

7% of the dead victims of the aggression on the Gaza Strip are elderly

The statistics pointed out that since the beginning of the occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip, more than 41 thousand citizens have been martyred, which constitutes 1.8% of the total population of the Strip, including about 7% of the elderly, and several thousand citizens have left the Strip since the beginning of the aggression.

The number of victims who died as a result of the famine reached 36 citizens, while there are about 3,500 children at risk of death due to malnutrition and lack of food, while the number of wounded reached more than 100 thousand wounded, 70% of whom are women and children, in addition to about 10 thousand missing. As for the number of martyrs in the West Bank, it reached 703 dead, of whom about 1.3% were elderly, while the majority of the martyrs were young people and children, as the percentage of dead under the age of 30 reached about 75%.

76% of the elderly in Palestine suffer from chronic diseases

Data for 2023 for the period before the aggression on the Gaza Strip showed that about 76% of the elderly suffer from chronic diseases, with about 75% in the West Bank compared to 78% in the Gaza Strip. This percentage reached about 70% among males and 82% among females.

The elderly, those with chronic diseases, and the wounded in the Gaza Strip are among the most affected groups due to the occupation’s aggression on the Strip, as they face major challenges that could lead to the deterioration of their health due to the interruption of medicines and health care and the difficulty of accessing hospitals and care centers, especially in light of the destruction and cessation of work of a large part of them.

According to data from the Emergency Medical Teams Coordination Cell (EMTCC) and the World Health Organization, the number of individuals suffering from chronic diseases and at risk of their exacerbation reached about 58,915 patients, and the total number of medical evacuations required for the injured and sick reached 14,469 cases, including 2,497 elderly people aged 60 years and over, including 1,380 cancer patients and 126 kidney patients until 9/8/2024.

18% of the elderly in Palestine have completed an intermediate diploma or more

The statistics continued, that about 29% of the elderly in Palestine did not complete any educational stage (illiterate/literate), as it was 18% for males compared to 39% for females, while the percentage of the elderly who completed an intermediate diploma or higher did not exceed 18% for the year 2023.

The educational status data for 2023 also showed that there is a clear difference between males and females in educational attainment, as the percentage of elderly males who completed an intermediate diploma or higher in Palestine reached 26%, while it decreased among elderly females to reach only 11%, knowing that the percentage of individuals 18 years and over who hold an intermediate diploma or higher in Palestine is 26% of the total population 18 years and over (23% for males and 29% for females).

At the regional level, the percentage of elderly people in the West Bank who did not complete any educational stage (illiterate/literate) reached 32% compared to 22% in the Gaza Strip. While the percentage of elderly people who completed an intermediate diploma or higher reached about 18% in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for the year 2023.

Variation in the rate of participation of the elderly in the labor market between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

The labor force participation rate among the elderly reached 19% in the West Bank during the year 2023, with 35% for males and 4% for females, compared to 5% in the Gaza Strip during the first three quarters of 2023, with 9% for males and 0.8% for females.