5.1M Palestinian refugees in 2012

Number of refugees registered in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) totaled 5.1 million in 2012, according to a statistical review on the current status of the Palestinian refugees published Wednesday and prepared by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on the eve of the International Day of Refugees. According to UNRWA records, 40% of the Palestinian refugees reside in Jordan, 23.8% in the Gaza Strip, 17.1% in the West Bank, 10% in Syria and 9.1% in Lebanon, said PCBS statement. The percentage of Palestinian refugees of the total population in the Palestinian Territory in 2011 was about 44%, distributed into about 30% in the West Bank and about 67% in Gaza Strip. The statistical statement noted that 35.4% of Palestinians in refugee camps in the Palestinian Territory in 2011 are poor, compared to 19.4% in rural areas and 26.1% in urban centers. Unemployment rate of Palestinian refugees among those 15 years and over was 26.1% compared to 18.0% for non refugees in the Palestinian Territory in 2011, while illiteracy rate among Palestinian refugees in the same age range was 4.4%, compared to 4.9% for non-refugees. The fertility rate for refugees in the Palestinian Territory was 4.3 births per woman for the period 2008-2009, 3.3 births per woman of the Palestinian refugees in Jordan, and 2.5 births per woman of Palestinian refugees in Syria, and 3.2 births per woman of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 2010. The average family size of the Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian Territory was 6 persons in 2011, whereas the average households for the Palestinian refugees in Jordan was 4.8%, in Syria 4.1% and Lebanon 3.9 persons in 2010, added PCBS.