RAMALLAH, March 28, 2018 (WAFA) – A total of 4,780,978 people live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by the end of 2017, said Ola Awad, president of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) as she announced on Wednesday the results of the most recent population census.

Presenting the preliminary results of the latest population statistics in special ceremonies attended by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah held at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, Awad said that 2,881,687 Palestinians live in the West Bank and 1,899, 291 live in Gaza.

She also said 435,480 Palestinians live in occupied East Jerusalem.

Awad said that the PCBS recorded population growth of 30% in the national census conducted for the period between 1997 and 2007, but this growth dropped to 27% in the 2007 to 2017 census, “which indicates a slow in the population growth in the last ten years,” she said.

Population grew from 2,895,683 in 1997, to 3,767,549 in 2007 and then 4,780,978 in 2017.

Unemployment was put at 27.2%, including 24.4% among males and 40.1% among females. Unemployment in the West Bank reached 13.2% while it reached 48.2% in the Gaza Strip.

M.K.