According to a statement issued today by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the number of Palestinians in historical Palestine will exceed the number of Jews over time

The number of Palestinians in historical Palestine totaled 5.6 million at the end of 2011. The number of Jews living in historical Palestine totaled 5.8 million. Based on estimates of the Israeli Department of Statistics for 2010, the number of Palestinians and Jews will total about 6.3 million each by the end of 2015, providing current growth rates remain the same. However, the number of Palestinians in historical Palestine will total 7.2 million compared to 6.8 Jews by the end of 2020.

Number of Palestinian and Jews living in Historical Palestine

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics presents the following information about Palestinians at the end of 2011:

Increase in world population of Palestinians

The projected number of Palestinians in the world is 11.22 million, of whom 4.23 million are in the Palestinian Territory, 1.37 million in Israel, 4.99 million in Arab countries and around 636 thousand in other countries.

More than one-third of population in Gaza Strip

The projected number of Palestinians living in the Palestinian Territory at the end of 2011 is  4.2 million, of whom around 2.6 million reside in the West Bank and 1.6 million in the Gaza Strip.

Of every 100 persons in the Palestinian Territory, about 44 are refugees: 42 per 100 in the West Bank and 58 per 100 in the Gaza Strip.

Decline in fertility rate in recent years

The total fertility rate declined in 2010 to 4.2 births compared with 6 births in 1997.  The rate in Gaza Strip in 2010 was 4.9 births compared to 3.8 births in the West Bank.  These rates have been stable for the past few years with no significant changes.