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how many palestinians live in gaza

Around 2.1–2.2 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, according to the most recent pre‑war and updated estimates.

Quick Scoop: How many Palestinians live in Gaza?

The Gaza Strip has historically had about 2.1–2.3 million residents, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world. Most of these residents are Palestinians, and a large share are registered refugees and their descendants.

Latest population estimates

Different institutions publish slightly different figures, but they cluster very closely:

  • The World Factbook–based estimates and demographic compilations put Gaza’s 2023 population at about 2.1 million.
  • Population data sites summarizing UN and census projections also cite a 2023 estimate of ~2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip.
  • A late‑2025 update from Palestinian official sources reported about 2.13 million Palestinians in Gaza , after very heavy war-related loss of life and displacement since October 2023.
  • A January 2025 statistical summary noted that, after a roughly 6% drop in 2024, Gaza’s population was still reported at about 2.1 million Palestinians.

Taken together, these sources indicate that “about 2.1 million” is the most accurate rounded figure for how many Palestinians live in Gaza in the mid‑2020s.

Impact of recent wars and “latest news”

Since October 2023, Gaza has experienced extremely high levels of civilian casualties, displacement, and emigration pressure. Palestinian statistics agencies and news reports describe tens of thousands of deaths and a noticeable decline (on the order of several percent) in the Strip’s population compared with pre‑2023 projections.

However, even with this decline, the best available late‑2024 and end‑2025 estimates still place Gaza’s Palestinian population just over two million , not in the hundreds of thousands. Because the situation is fluid, exact day‑to‑day numbers are uncertain, but current public data consistently supports the “a bit over 2 million Palestinians” description.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.