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The Population Density of the Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is frequently referred to as one of the most densely populated areas in the world. According to the CIA, it has a population of 2,098,389 in an area of 139 square miles (slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.), which would be a density of 15,096 people per square mile, which is less than the density of the city of Tel Aviv (21,793/sq. mi.). If you compare Gaza to a country, then it would rank fifth but is not even close to the top two ­­– Macau (56,247) and Monaco (51,167).

Gaza City is the 63rd most densely populated urban area in the world at 42,059 per square mile. This is far below Bnei Brak in Israel (76,000 per square mile). A more apt comparison is Manhattan, which is 23 square miles compared to Gaza City’s 17. Its population density is more than 70,000 per square mile.


Sources: World Population Review.
Elzy Kolb, “75,000 people per square mile? These are the most densely populated cities in the world,” USA Today, (July 11, 2019).
Statistics Times.
Adam Taylor, “Gaza City is being hit by missile strikes. This is how densely populated it is,” Washington Post, (July 14, 2014).
“List of cities proper by population density,” Wikipedia.
“Manhattan,” Wikipedia.
“Demographia World Urban Areas,” Demographia, (June 2020).