Gaza, Gaza Strip
Population
2.18M
Area
360 km²
GDP
$13.71B
GDP Per Capita
$3,800
Pop. Density
6,068/km²
Background
The Gaza Strip has been under the de facto governing authority of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) since 2007 and has faced years of conflict, poverty, and humanitarian crises. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip area has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip 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; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo Accords signed between 1993 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.
In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began in response to perceived Israeli provocations, and in 2001, negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel in 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land borders, maritime territorial waters, cyberspace, telecommunications, and airspace. In 2006, HAMAS won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in 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 negotiated a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them.
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces periodically exchange projectiles and air strikes, respectively, threatening broader conflict. In 2021, HAMAS launched rockets into Israel, sparking an 11-day conflict that also involved other Gaza-based militant groups. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process negotiated ceasefires, averting a broader conflict. Since 2018, HAMAS has coordinated demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel security fence. HAMAS has also stood by while other militant groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fought brief conflicts with Israel, most recently in August 2022 and May 2023.On 7 October 2023, HAMAS militants inside the Gaza Strip launched a combined unguided rocket and ground attack into Israel. The attack began with a barrage of more than 3,000 rockets fired toward Israel from Gaza, and included thousands of terrorists infiltrating Israel by land, sea, and air via paragliders. Militants attacked military bases, clashed with security forces mostly in southern Israel, and simultaneously infiltrated civilian communities. During the attack, terrorists carried out massacres and murdered civilians, including torture, acts of abuse and rape, a massacre at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, as well as kidnapping approximately 240 civilians, including men, women, children, and soldiers. These attacks were followed soon after by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) air strikes inside Gaza. The next day, Israeli Prime Minister NETANYAHU formally declared war on Gaza. The IDF on 28 October launched a large-scale ground assault inside Gaza that is ongoing as of April 2024.
Geography17
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates
31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references
Middle East
Area
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries
border countries: Egypt 13 km; Israel 59 km
Coastline
40 km
Maritime claims
see entry for Israel
Climate
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Natural resources
arable land, natural gas
Land use
agricultural land
agricultural land: arable land
agricultural land: permanent crops
agricultural land: permanent pasture
forest
other
Irrigated land
(2013) 151 sq km; note - includes the West Bank
Population distribution
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Natural hazards
droughts
Geography - note
once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes
People & Society31
Population
male: 1,108,222
female: 1,076,430
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arab
Languages
major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0% (2012 est.)
Age structure
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 627,235/female 620,903)
65 years and over: 2.9% (2024 est.) (male 31,655/female 30,112)
Dependency ratios
youth dependency ratio: 64.5 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 19.7 (2025 est.)
Median age
male: 19.3 years
female: 19.8 years
Population growth rate
1.96% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
26.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
2.77 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north
Urbanization
rate of urbanization: 2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
778,000 Gaza (2023)
Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
male: 73.7 years
female: 77.4 years
Total fertility rate
3.14 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.52 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
unimproved: total: total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure
13.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
2.17 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
2.1% (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
62.4% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 18: 13.4% (2020)
Education expenditure
5.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
Literacy
male: 99% (2022 est.)
female: 97% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 12 years (2023 est.)
female: 14 years (2023 est.)
Government1
Country name
conventional short form: Gaza, Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita' Ghazzah
etymology: named for the largest city in the enclave, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as "Ghazzat"); "Strip" refers to its elongated shape along the Mediterranean
Economy28
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $27.694 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $29.016 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2023: -4.6% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 4.1% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2023: $5,400 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $5,800 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$13.711 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 5.9% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 3.7% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 17.4% (2022 est.)
services: 58.3% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption
government consumption
investment in fixed capital
investment in inventories
exports of goods and services
imports of goods and services
Agricultural products
tomatoes, milk, cucumbers/gherkins, olives, potatoes, sheep milk, eggplants, pumpkins/squash, grapes, goat milk (2023)
Industries
textiles, food processing, furniture
Industrial production growth rate
-32.2% (2024 est.)
Labor force
1.391 million (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2021: 26.4% (2021 est.)
Unemployment rate 2020: 25.9% (2020 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 31.6% (2022 est.)
female: 56.6% (2022 est.)
Population below poverty line
29.2% (2016 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 27.1% (2023 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2023: 18.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 24% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget
see entry for the West Bank
Taxes and other revenues
21.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2023: -$2.895 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$2.037 billion (2022 est.)
Exports
Exports 2023: $3.413 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $3.533 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners
Jordan 51%, Turkey 12%, UAE 8%, Saudi Arabia 5%, UK 4% (2023)
Exports - commodities
scrap iron, tropical fruits, olive oil, building stone, prepared meat (2023)
Imports
Imports 2023: $11.637 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $12.257 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners
Egypt 25%, Jordan 17%, China 8%, Germany 7%, UAE 7% (2023)
Imports - commodities
cement, raw sugar, cars, baked goods, perfumes (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $1.323 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $896.9 million (2022 est.)
Exchange rates
see entry for the West Bank
Energy6
Electricity access
Electricity
consumption: 6.956 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 6.925 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 988 million kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources
solar: 33.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal
Petroleum
Energy consumption per capita
Communications6
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2023 est.)
Broadcast media
1 TV station and about 10 radio stations; satellite TV accessible
Internet country code
.ps
Internet users
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2023 est.)
Military & Security3
Military and security forces
HAMAS maintains security forces inside Gaza in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; the military wing ostensibly reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau but operates with considerable autonomy; there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2025)
Military expenditures
not available
Military and security service personnel strengths
prior to the start of the 2023-2025 conflict with Israel, the military wing of HAMAS was estimated to have 20-30,000 fighters (2024)
Transnational Issues1
Refugees and internally displaced persons
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