Palestinian Life Expectancy Plunges Dramatically in 1973

Palestine has been embroiled in bloody conflict since May 14, 1948, when the country was occupied by Israel.

The establishment of Israel that year triggered the first Arab-Israeli war. A year later, Israel won the war, forcing 750,000 Palestinians to flee, as reported by the Global Conflict Tracker.

In 1967, Israel occupied the remaining historical Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights in Syria, and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Tensions in the three areas—Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank—remain high to this day.

Most recently, Israel bombarded Gaza throughout Monday night (October 9, 2023). According to an *Al Jazeera* report cited by *Katadata*, 1,500 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the attacks.

Israel claims this was retaliation for the Hamas attacks launched since Saturday (October 7, 2023). The latest data from Israeli medical services indicates that over 900 people have been killed in the area.

(Read also: [Conflict in Palestine-Israel Erupts Again, This is the Number of Casualties in the Last 16 Years])

Years of conflict have besieged the region. What is the life expectancy of Palestinians?

Our World in Data compiled life expectancy figures for Palestinians. Between 1970 and 2021, Palestinian life expectancy plummeted drastically in 1973, reaching only 34.7 years.

This lowest life expectancy figure was likely driven by the October War, or Yom Kippur War (as it's known in Israel), on October 6, 1973.

At that time, Egypt and Syria (still united as Arab states) sought to recapture territories occupied by Israel. This large-scale war killed nearly 10,000 Egyptian and Syrian soldiers, and 2,600 Israeli soldiers. The chaos is predicted to have significantly impacted Palestinians in the conflict zone.

Despite near annihilation, Israel regained control of Sinai and Golan on October 25, 2023.

Afterward, Palestinian life expectancy gradually increased. By 1974, it reached 58 years.

By 2000, Palestinian life expectancy was significantly higher, at 70.4 years.

However, it has declined in the last two years. From 75.2 years to 74.4 years in 2019-2020, it fell again to 73.5 years in 2021.

Life expectancy is shaped by several factors, such as environmental conditions, food availability, economic conditions, access to healthcare, education, government policies and roles, and others. The better the quality of life, the higher the life expectancy.

(Read also: [10 Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy in the World 2023, Monaco Leads])