(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Official statistical data estimated the Palestinian refugees' numbers until January 1st, 2012 about 5.1 million refugees, according to UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) records.

On the International Day of Refugees, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a statistical review on the current status of Palestinian Refugees, in which it revealed that “the Palestinian registered refugees totaled 5.1 million on 1/1/2012, of whom 40.0% in Jordan, 23.8% in Gaza Strip, 17.1% in the West Bank, 10.0% in Syria and 9.1% in Lebanon.”

PCBS stated that “the percentage of Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian territory of 2011, about 44% of the total population in the Palestinian territory, distributed about 30% in the West Bank and about 67 % in Gaza Strip.”

The data indicated that 66 % of the Palestinians who were living in occupied Palestine in 1948 have been exiled, pointing out that the UN estimates in 1950 emphasized that the Zionist gangs had displaced and expelled about 957 thousands Palestinians from the territories controlled by occupation forces on the eve of 1948 war.

PCBS also added that “the Palestinian Refugees are characterized as young population where 41.7% of them are under the age of 15 years for Palestinian refugees in Palestinian territory”, while “35.9% of Palestinian refugees in Jordan in 2007, and 33.1% for Palestinian refugees in Syria in 2009, while 30.4% for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 2010.”

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