Population and Demographics of Palestine
Population changed +1.59% in 2024 · median age 20 years
Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Palestine moved +74.3% in population size. By 2050, the medium path points to 8.45 million, equivalent to a +53.8% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Palestine
A longer view puts Palestine at 3.152M in 2000 and 5.495M in 2024. That works out to a 74.4% gain. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 8.452M, about 53.8% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The broad age bands show a very young population structure in Palestine. At 38.05%, the under-15 group is larger than the 3.84% aged 65+, while ages 15 to 64 account for 58.11%. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Palestine's 2024 population is 50.4% female and 49.6% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 0.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.4% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.6% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Palestine pairs a 2024 annual population rate of +1.59% with fertility of 3.3, against an age structure of 38.05% under 15, 58.11% aged 15 to 64 and 3.84% at 65-plus.
Over the longer record, Palestine changed +74.3% from 2000 to 2024, while the medium scenario adds a +53.8% change between 2024 and 2050; no specific birth, death or migration contribution is inferred from that total.
2024 estimate for Palestine. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Palestine vs. World
In the harmonized 2024 comparison, Palestine's annual population change is higher than the world rate, fertility is above the global level, and its population is younger than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Palestine | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +1.59% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.3 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 20 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Palestine and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
Palestine has 5,495,443 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +1.59% over the year.
The 2024 age structure is 38.05% under 15, 58.11% aged 15 to 64 and 3.84% aged 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 50.4% female and 49.6% male.
By 2050, the medium projection is 8.452M, differing from 2024 by roughly 2.96 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Palestine?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Palestine is 5,495,443 people.
Is the population of Palestine growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Palestine's population is growing, with annual change of +1.59%.
What percentage of the population of Palestine is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 3.84% of Palestine's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Palestine in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Palestine's 2050 population at 8,451,891.
What is the fertility rate in Palestine?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Palestine is 3.3 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.