ON the eve of International Youth Day, the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a statistical review on the status of Palestinian youth, that shows youth pay a heavy price for occupation.
Youth represent 29.8% of the total population: 40.2% of them are adolescents and 60.4% are youth. The sex ratio among youth is 104.3 males per 100 females.
More than a third of youth were unemployed during the first quarter of 2012.
The labour force survey data for the first quarter of 2012 showed the youth unemployment rate in the Palestinian Territory stands at 35.7%.
The highest unemployment rate was 41.2% in the age group of 20-24 years compared with 29.3% for the age group of 25-29 years.
44.8% of youth (15-29 years) were enrolled in education in 2011.
In 2011, 44.8% of youth aged 15-29 years were enrolled in education; 84.9% in the age group of 15-17 years, 50.8% in the age group of 18-22 years, and 11.9% in the age group of 23-29 years.
Dropout rates (both of those who were previously enrolled and left or failed to attend) were 29.7%; 34.2% for males and 24.9% for females.
The unemployment rate among youth graduates was a massive 50.5% in the first quarter of 2012.
The highest unemployment rate was 60.1% for graduates in education and teacher training, while the lowest unemployment rate of 33.7% was among law graduates.
More than a quarter of youth in the Palestinian Territory suffered from poverty during 2010
The poverty rate among Palestinian individuals was 25.7 (18.3% in the West Bank, and 38.0% in the Gaza Strip).
14.9% of the individuals in the Palestinian Territory were suffering from deep poverty in 2010 according to consumption patterns. (8.8% in the West Bank, and 23.0% in the Gaza Strip).
About three in every 100 youth suffered from one chronic disease at least.
In the Palestinian Territory, 2.8% of youth aged 15-29 years reported that they suffered from at least one chronic disease; 3.3% of males and 2.3% of females.
