On the occasion of the Day of the Palestinian Child, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) recalled that, according to its estimates, Palestine should have 2.3 million children by mid-2022 (minus 18) with 1.2 million boys and 1.1 million girls.
Children in Palestine represent 43.9% of the total population (41.7% in the West Bank and 47.3% in the Gaza Strip).
According to the United Nations Humanitarian Aid Coordination Office (OCHA), almost 97% of children of elementary school age in Palestine are enrolled in school, which is among the highest attendance rates in the Near and the Middle East, and illiteracy has decreased significantly, from 1.1% in 2007 to 0.8% in 2021.
71.3% of the 82,924 Palestinian students have passed the Tawjihi exams, which open a door to entry to higher education and access to university scholarships.
PCBS data show a decline in early marriages (for those under 18) for both sexes, which nevertheless remain high: 11.9% of the total number of registered marriages among women in 2020 (4.3 % in the West Bank and 19.3% in the Gaza Strip) against 24% in 2010. Conversely, the proportion of early marriages among men under 18 is 0.5% of the total number of marriages registered in 2020, compared to 2% in 2010.
The data also shows that the percentage of working children stands at around 2.5% of the total number of children (10-17 years old) in 2021: 3.8% in the West Bank and 0.9% in the Strip. Gaza (4.8% for boys and 0.2% for girls), the majority of whom work as unpaid family members.
Source Embassy of France in Lebanon
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