عربي
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) Issues a Press Release on the Occasion of World Statistics Day on October 20th, 2025
Between Challenges and Reality… Statistics is the Mirror of Truth in Palestine
On October 20th, 2025, the World Statistics Day comes under the theme “High-Quality Statistics and Data for the Benefit of All”, emphasizing the pivotal role of statistics in shaping evidence-based policies and supporting both national and global development plans. It also underscores the importance of statistics as a sovereign tool to safeguard the right to information and to guide pathways toward sustainable development founded on transparency and accountability.
In Palestine, this day comes amid the consequences and hardships of the Israeli aggression affecting all Palestinians, serving as a reminder that statistics is not merely numbers—but a powerful means to reflect truth, document the suffering of the Palestinian people, and highlight their resilience through reliable data that contribute to shaping fairer and more equitable policies.
More than 69,000 martyrs in Palestine since the Israeli occupation aggression on October 7th, 2023: Figures that embody the tragedy and document the truth
The number of martyrs in Palestine since the start of the Israeli occupation aggression on October 7th, 2023, until October 18th, 2025, reached 68,116 martyrs in Gaza Strip, including around 18,592 children, and around 12,400 women. In addition, about 11,200 were reported as missing persons, and about 170,200 citizens were injured. Moreover, this Israeli aggression has also displaced more than two million Palestinians, who have endured the bitter suffering of displacement, where many of them have been displaced multiple times, since the brutal and ongoing Israeli aggression that started on October 7th, 2023.
While in the West Bank, the Israeli occupation continued its aggression; 1,054 Palestinians were martyred, and 9,034 others were injured, as a result of the attacks by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers.
Gaza Strip under the rubble: About 90% of Gaza Strip is destroyed
Since the Israeli occupation aggression against Gaza Strip on October 7th, 2023, the Israeli occupation has completely destroyed more than 102,067 buildings, and severely damaged more than 192,812 others, while data show that the number of housing units that have been either completely or partially damaged is estimated to be around 330,500 housing units.
In addition to the destruction of schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, churches, and government headquarters, as well as the destruction of thousands of economic establishments and most of the agricultural areas, making Gaza Strip an uninhabitable place to survive.
In the same context, and according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, data stated that during the first half of 2025, the Israeli occupation carried out 380 demolition operations, and 588 establishments were demolished in the West Bank, including 322 inhabited residences, including Jerusalem city, with 67 demolition operations, and 79 demolished establishments. These measures, which strip Palestinians of their homes and lands, constitute a violation of the human right to housing.
The Number of Demolition Operations and Demolished Establishments Carried out by the Israeli Occupation in the West Bank during the First Half of the Years 2023-2025
Severe humanitarian crisis: 85% of water and sewage networks in Gaza Strip are destroyed
As a result of the Israeli occupation aggression, more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and assets have been completely or partially out of service and require rehabilitation exceeding one and a half billion dollars, including sewage treatment plants, desalination plants, pumping stations, wells, water tanks, main transmission lines, and water and sanitation networks. This destruction has led to a sharp decline in water supply rates, with approximately 49% of households in Gaza Strip are barely able to access less than 6 liters per capita per day for drinking and cooking purposes, far below the minimum humanitarian standard of around 15 liters as set by the World Health Organization.
Unprecedented inflation burdens Palestinians
Two years after the Israeli occupation aggression against Gaza Strip, consumer prices have surged more than fivefold since October 7th, 2023, a staggering increase of 512%. In contrast, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the West Bank remained stable during the same period.
During the first eight months of 2025, compared to the same period in the previous year, the consumer price index for Palestine recorded a sharp rise of 33%, driven by soaring consumer goods prices. Gaza continues to suffer from these increases amid the ongoing Israeli aggression, with prices rising by 78% during the same period.
Meanwhile, price levels in both the West Bank and Jerusalem (J1) remain elevated but less severe than last year, with an increase of 1.54% in Jerusalem (J1) and 0.21% in the West Bank during the first eight months of 2025.
High levels of food insecurity threaten the lives of Palestinians in Gaza Strip
Before the Israeli occupation aggression against Gaza Strip, poverty rates exceeded 63%, with the poverty line in Palestine set at approximately 2,717 Israeli shekels, and the extreme (severe) poverty line at around 2,170 Israeli shekels. Following the ongoing aggression against Gaza Strip, it can be said that the concept of poverty has been surpassed, and we are now dealing with various levels of famine.
Total consumption has declined by 31% (approximately 13% in the West Bank and 80% in Gaza Strip), reflecting the direct impact on living standards for individuals in Palestine, accompanied by a rise in unemployment rates. In other words, most people in Gaza Strip suffer from high levels of food insecurity, with data indicating that around 96% of the population in Gaza Strip (2.1 million people) face severe food insecurity.
Gaza Strip drowning in unemployment: Over 80% of the labour force are without job opportunities
During the Israeli occupation aggression against the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the unemployment rate in Palestine rose to 50%, with 34% in the West Bank and 80% in Gaza Strip, leaving approximately 550 thousand people unemployed in Palestine.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation restricted the movement of workers within the occupied territories. Prior to October 7th, 2023, data indicated that around 180 thousand workers were employed in Israel and the settlements on a regular basis, and the income from this labor was considered one of the key pillars supporting the Palestinian economy and driving its economic activity.
The Palestinian productive sector is eroding … construction pays the highest price
The Israeli occupation has destroyed more than 85% of the infrastructure in Gaza Strip, resulting in the destruction of most economic activities in the region. So, at the sectoral level: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities declined by 30%, with a decline of 6% in the West Bank and a staggering decline of 94% in Gaza Strip. While mining, manufacturing, water, and electricity activities fell by 33%, with a decrease of 26% in the West Bank and 94% in Gaza strip. In addition, the construction activity suffered from the sharpest decline of 57%, with a decrease of 48% in the West Bank and 98% in Gaza Strip. Moreover, services declined by 27%, with a decrease of 15% in the West Bank and 83% in Gaza Strip.
On World Statistics Day, statistics demonstrate that what Palestinians face is not just numbers, but also a reality they live in and convey to the world.
It is a living testimony of the suffering of our people and their resilience in the face of the brutal Israeli aggression. Palestinian statistics remain a sovereign tool that documents pain, reveals the tragedy, and defends the right to knowledge and justice. Data thus becomes a powerful instrument to help shape humane and fair policies, support efforts to rebuild what the occupation has destroyed, and ensure that the Palestinian truth continues to bear witness to the people’s resilience and their hope for a dignified life and a better future.