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Gaza 2020: How does Palestinian territory compare globally?

Quality-of-life indicators in the Gaza, which is blockaded by Israel, are significantly worse than other densely populated places
The Stars and Stripes is waved at a pro-migration protest in Brooklyn; the Palestinian flag is waved during Land Day; and the flag of Hong Kong is shown at a football match (AFP)

Gaza is just days away from 1 January 2020 - and the date by which the United Nations predicted that the Palestinian territory could be unlivable.

The international agency came to that conclusion back in 2012 after calculating that Gaza’s infrastructure and social services would be unable to keep pace with its growing needs and population.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. But compared to other global cities and regions, such as New York City and Hong Kong, it lags far behind when it comes to measures including unemployment, class sizes and lack of safe drinking water.

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From left: Gaza in 2014, New York in 2016, Hong Kong in 2019 (AFP)
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Commuters head for work in (from left) the occupied Palestinian territories, Hong Kong and New York City (all AFP)
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From left: Children mark Eid al-Adha in Gaza; Lunar New Year in Hong Kong; Christmas in New York (AFP/Reuters)
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