Gaza records unprecedented demographic losses and economic collapse in 2025
Shafaq News– Gaza/ Ramallah
The year 2025 marked one of the deadliest and most destructive years in the history of the Gaza Strip, with large-scale human losses, severe demographic decline, and an acute economic contraction, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
In its “Comprehensive Annual Statistical Update for 2025,” the Gaza Government Media Office reported that the total number of killed and missing during the year reached 29,117, including 25,717 fatalities whose bodies were received by hospitals, alongside more than 3,400 missing persons, many believed to be trapped under rubble.
The office stated that 5,437 children and 2,475 women were among those killed, noting that children, women, and the elderly accounted for nearly 50% of all victims. It added that 2025 witnessed 283 days of continuous military operations, in addition to 82 days of ceasefire marked by repeated violations.
According to the statement, around 90% of Gaza’s built environment was damaged or destroyed, while Israeli forces imposed military control over approximately 55% of the territory’s area, with more than 112,000 tons of explosives reportedly dropped over the course of the year.
The data also recorded 475 deaths due to hunger and malnutrition, including 165 children, as well as 23 deaths linked to faulty aid airdrops. In addition, 622 kidney patients out of 1,244—about 50% of all dialysis patients—died due to shortages of food and medical care.
The office documented more than 4,441 miscarriage cases among pregnant women, four deaths from extreme cold in displacement camps during December, and 19 fatalities caused by the collapse of previously bombed homes during severe weather conditions. It further reported 62,853 wounded reaching hospitals and over 2,700 civilian arrests during the year.
Separately, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said in a briefing issued on December 31, 2025, that the Israeli military campaign ongoing since October 7, 2023, resulted in “an unprecedented humanitarian and demographic catastrophe,” reporting that total fatalities across Palestine exceeded 72,000, including 70,942 in Gaza and 1,102 in the West Bank, in addition to 171,195 wounded and around 11,000 missing by the end of 2025.
The bureau noted that these losses directly affected Gaza’s population structure, with the number of residents declining by approximately 254,000 people over two years, a 10.6% decrease compared with pre-war estimates, bringing the current population to around 2.13 million. It described the trend as acute demographic bleeding driven by killings, displacement, and deteriorating living conditions.
On the economic front, the bureau said Gaza’s economy contracted by 84% compared with 2023, with a further 8.7% decline during 2025, while overall unemployment in Palestine reached 46%, rising to 78% in Gaza, leaving around 650,000 people jobless, among the highest rates globally.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, initial estimates of direct economic losses across 15 vital sectors during 2025 exceeded $33 billion, amid widespread infrastructure destruction and near-total paralysis of productive and service sectors.
