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12 Aug, 2017

30% of Palestinian population are millennials, aged 15-29

RAMALLAH, August 10, 2017 (WAFA) – Marking the International Youth Day and under the theme “Youth, Peace and Security”, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Thursday that a third of the Palestinian society is young.

Statistics show that the percentage of youth in the age group of 15 to 29 in Palestine comprises 30% of the total population, distributed by 36% in the age group of 15 to 19 years and 64% in the age group of 20 to 29 years old, said the PCBS in a press release.

It said population estimates in Palestine in mid-2017 indicate that the total population approximately reached 4.95 million.

The 2015 Palestinian youth survey showed that the percentage of households headed by a young person aged (15-29) reached 14% (13% in the West Bank and 17% in Gaza Strip). The data also showed that 72% of households have at least one young person (71% in the West Bank and 74% in Gaza Strip).

The unemployment rate among young people aged (15-29) reached 40% among the youth involved in the labor force. In which the highest rate of unemployment among individuals within the age group of 20 to 24 years reached 44% compared to 36% among individuals within the age group of 25 to 29 years.

The unemployment rate among young graduates reached 53% during the first quarter of 2017 (36% for males and 69% for females). The graduates of natural sciences specialization scored the highest unemployment rate reaching 70% (48% for males and 78% for females). Unemployment rate among health specialization scored the lowest reaching 32% (19% for males and 49% for females).

The percentage of the youth working in the services sector reached 24% in the first quarter of 2017 (17% for males and 76% for females) compared with 27% working in trade, restaurants and hospitality sector (30% for males and 7% for females), while 18% work at the construction sector (21% for males and 1% of females), and 17% of the youth work in the industrial sector (18% for males and 8% for females), while the ratio of workers in the agriculture sector reached 8% (8% for males and 7% for females).

In regard to priority issues of the Palestinian youth, the youth survey indicated that 79% of young people aged 15 to 29 believe that ending the occupation and building the state is the main issue of priority for the Palestinian society. In the second place came the issue of raising the standard of living with a rate of 7%. The consensus is noticeable on those priorities among the youth (males and females) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Statistics for 2016 showed that 38% of young people 15 to 29 years are enrolled in education; among of which 82% of young people aged 15 to 17 years, 45% of the age group 18 to 22 years and 8% of the age group 23 to 29 years. Statistics indicated that the total dropout rates (those who left school before completing their education) among the youth 15 to 29 years in Palestine was 34% (42% for males and 27% for females). The secondary school dropout rate in the 2014-2015 scholastic year among youth 15 to 29 years in Palestine was 2.0% (2.1% for males and 1.8% for females).

The results of the Palestinian Youth Survey, 2015 showed that about 24% of the young people in Palestine in the age group of 15 to 29 years have a desire to immigrate abroad and it seems that the prevailing situation in Gaza Strip is not changing this trend. The percentage of the youth wishing to immigrate in Gaza Strip reached 37% compared to 15% in the West Bank. It is also notable that young males are more likely to think about immigration than young females, with 29% for males and 18% for females.