means that about two and half persons are depending on one economically active person, while the dependency ratio ranged 44 to 52 in the rest of the regions. The largest family size is 5.6 persons, also found in Gaza, which aligns with its dependency ratio. Table 2.8: Palestinian Refugees’ Dependency Ratio by Region, End of 2021285 Region Average Family Size Dependency Ratio Jordan 5.2 44.4 Lebanon 4.7 47.6 Syria 4.8 47.7 West Bank 5.6 48.7 Gaza Strip 5.6 71.1 Total 5.3 52.0 2.3.2.2. Poverty and Food Insecurity Palestinians in the oPt, especially refugees and IDPs, suffer from high rates of poverty. As of the end of 2020, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that the poverty rate is 36 percent in the West Bank and 64 percent in the Gaza Strip.286 More than one quarter of Palestinians – 1.4 million individuals – are now considered to be living in poverty. A 2017 PCBS study shows that the poverty rate among refugees is 38.7 percent, while for non-refugees, it stands at 22.3 percent.287 This can be explained by the high unemployment rates, the high dependency ratio, and the larger households in refugee camps in comparison with urban and rural households. Another explanation is provided by the higher poverty level in the Gaza Strip, where the majority of the population are refugees, especially within camps. Moreover, in Gaza, even those who are employed struggle to make a living wage, with 82 percent of private sector employees earning less than the national minimum wage in the second quarter of 2020.288 According to the 2020 Socio-Economic and Food Security Survey, food insecurity in the oPt remains at very high levels, with 31 percent of households classified as being ‘food insecure either severe or moderate.’ Additionally, those who are severely food insecure increased from 14.6 percent in 2018 to 17.6 by the end of 2020. 289 In the Gaza Strip, about 64 percent of households are considered to be moderately (23.6 percent) or severely food insecure (40.65 percent), while in the West Bank, food insecurity was approximately 9 percent. Refugee households also experience higher rates of food insecurity than the rest of the population, 285 UNRWA, Department of Health (n 256). United Nations – The Question of Palestine (UNISPAL), ‘Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territory: In facts and figures’ (UNISPAL, 2021) <https://www.un.org/unispal/in-facts-and-figures/> accessed 3 October 2022. 287 PCBS, ‘Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics: Poverty Profile in Palestine, 2017’ (2017) <https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/ Document/pdf/txte_poverty2017.pdf ?date=16_4_2018_2> accessed 3 October 2022. 288 OCHA, ‘Humanitarian Needs Overview 2021: OPT’ (2020) <https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www. humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/hno_2021_0.pdf> accessed 3 October 2022. 289 Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), ‘Food Security (SEFSEC)’ (MAS, 2020) <https://mas.ps/en/ sefsec> accessed 3 October 2022. 286 58