West Bank and Gaza: Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, West Bank and Gaza's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) rose 190,900% on 2022 (from 1,800 to 3.44 million).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2022), the average change was +4,464.1% and a typical year strayed about 12,728.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 14.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 190,900% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 99.9% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 21% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, West Bank and Gaza had the 3rd highest value of the 25 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to West Bank and Gaza in the 2023 ranking

• Sudan — 1st of 25: 6.04 million
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 2nd of 25: 3.77 million
• Myanmar — 4th of 25: 1.3 million
• Ethiopia — 5th of 25: 794,000
• Ukraine — 6th of 25: 714,000

What this measures

Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.

Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 15 values

Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 32,000 (2022)
• Iraq — 21,000 (2023)
• Israel — 203,000 (2023)
• Libya — 1,700 (2023)
• Pakistan — 2,800 (2023)
• Syrian Arab Republic — 174,000 (2023)
• Yemen, Rep. — 80,000 (2023)

More public sector data for West Bank and Gaza

• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 0.62 (2022)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 70 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 71.47 (2024)
• Expense (current LCU) — 4.74 billion (2021)
• Expense (% of GDP) — 26.17% (2021)
• Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) — 91.17% (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 4 data sources score (scale 0-100) — 73.2 (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 0 (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is West Bank and Gaza's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases)?

3.44 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is up 3,338% from 100,000 in 2009 (28.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.44 million in 2023 and the lowest 490 in 2018.

How does West Bank and Gaza rank?

3rd highest of 25 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) unusual for West Bank and Gaza?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWCV, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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