Palestinians number 12.7M worldwide

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinians worldwide currently number around 12.7 million, according to figures released Thursday by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

The Ramallah-based statistical center for the state of Palestine added that as of the end of 2016, some 4.09 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

The statement added that around 1.05 million Palestinians live in Israel, and nearly 5.095 million in Arab countries, and about 696,000 in other countries.

The statement said 2.97 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and 1.91 million in the Gaza Strip.

As for refugees, they make up 41.9 percent of the residents of Palestine, 26 percent living in the West Bank and 66.7 percent in the Gaza Strip.

According to the same data, the average family size fell to 5.2 persons in 2015 (compared with 6.1 in 2000), broken down into 4.9 persons per family in the West Bank and 5.7 in the Gaza Strip.

Reporting by Qais Abu Samra; Writing by Ali H. M.Abo Rezeg