Bethlehem Governorate

محافظة بيت لحم Bethlehem Governorate
Basic data
Country	State of Palestine
surface	660 km²
Residents	229,900 (2020)
density	348 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	PS-BTH
View of Bethlehem

Coordinates: 31 ° 39 ′  N , 35 ° 18 ′  E

The Bethlehem Governorate ( Arabic محافظة بيت لحم, DMG Muḥāfaẓat Bayt Laḥm ) is a governorate of the Palestinian Authority or the State of Palestine . It is located in the south of the West Bank . The district capital or Muhfaza (seat) is the city of Bethlehem . Due to the occupation by Israel, Palestinians can only use 13% of the area, much of it is fragmented.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had 217,400 inhabitants as of mid-2017. By 2020 this number rose to 229,900 inhabitants.

Demographics

The population is very young on average, around 36.9 percent are younger than 15 years, while only 3.6 percent are over 65 years old. In 2017, 98.3 percent of the population were Muslim and 1.6 percent were Christian or otherwise. Residents of Jewish settlements were not included. 58.3 percent of the total population were refugees in the same year.

Population development

Census year	population
1997	137.286
2007	176,235
2017	217,400

places

• Bethlehem
• Battir
• Bait Jala

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Shrinking Space: Urban Contraction and Rural Fragmentation in the Bethlehem Governorate. September 20, 2015, accessed June 27, 2020 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Bayt Lahm (Governorate, Palestinian Territories) - Population Statistics, Graphics, Map and Location. Retrieved June 27, 2020 .