Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is 3.6.256 In Jordan, the overall fertility rate has decreased steadily (from 6.2 in 1983-1986 to 4.6 in 2000, 3.3 in 2010, and to 3.2 in 2021. In Lebanon, it has fluctuated, from 4.49 in 1991 to 2.3 in 2006, 2.8 in 2011, and currently sitting at 2.7 in 2021 for the entire population of Lebanon. In Syria, the overall fertility rate has decreased from 3.8 in 2000 to 2.4 in 2006, while increasing again in 2010 to 2.5 and to 2.7 in 2021.257 The total fertility rate in 2013 among Palestinian women living in 1948 Palestine was 3.4 births compared to 3.1 births among Jewish women; in 2020, it had declined to 2.5 for Palestinian women and 3.0 for Jewish women.258 This observable overall declining fertility rate is likely the result of later marriage, increased female enrollment in higher education, more prevalent use of contraceptives, and a slight rise in the participation rate of women in the labor force. 2.3.1.3. Growth Rate of Palestinian Refugees The Palestinian refugee and IDP populations have a high, albeit declining, growth rate. This is quite similar to the Palestinian population as a whole. The average annual growth rate of the UNRWA-registered refugee population for the period 1955– 2008 is 3.3 percent, in comparison to 2.1 percent in 2021. Similarly, according to PCBS, the average annual growth rate of the entire Palestinian population was 3.5 percent for 1994– 1999, 3 percent for 2000– 2008, and 2.4 percent in 2021.259 By 2021, the annual growth rate for registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan was 1.5 percent. As for Lebanon, it was 1.1 percent (down from 3.7 percent in 2018). Meanwhile, the annual growth rate for Palestinian refugees in Syria, West Bank, and Gaza Strip in 2021 was 1.5 percent, 1.6 percent, and 3.8 percent., respectively, with both Syria and the West Bank decreasing since 2010, but the Gaza Strip increasing from 2.6 in 2010. Table 2.6: Palestinian Refugees’ Total Fertility and Annual Growth Rates by Region, End of 2021260 Region Overall Fertility Rate Growth Rate of Registered Refugees Jordan 3.2 1.5 Lebanon 2.7 1.1 Syria 2.7 1.5 West Bank 3.6 1.6 Gaza Strip 3.6 3.8 Total 3.2 2.1 256 UNRWA, ‘Department of Health: Annual Report 2021’ (2022) [hereinafter UNRWA, Department of Health] <https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/annual_report_2021_final_version_update_18_ august_2022_low_size.pdf> accessed 3 October 2022. 257 Ibid. 258 PCBS, Palestinians at the End of 2021 (PCBS 2021) <https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2595.pdf> accessed 3 October 2022. 259 PCBS, ‘Indicators’ (PCBS, 2022) <https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/site/lang__en/881/default.aspx> accessed 3 October 2022. 260 UNRWA, Department of Health (n 256). 54