Expenditure and Consumption Survey 2023
Household-level microdata for the West Bank and Gaza
West Bank and Gaza, 2023
Get MicrodataIdentification
PSE_2023_PECS_v01_M
Expenditure and Consumption Survey 2023
Household-level microdata for the West Bank and Gaza
PECS 2023
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| West Bank and Gaza | PSE |
Income/Expenditure/Household Survey [hh/ies]
This is the thirteenth round of the Palestinian Expenditure and Consumption Survey (PECS) of households in the Palestinian territories, conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The 2023 PECS provides an updated profile of poverty and living standards, with the objective of analyzing consumption patterns and the socio-economic characteristics of households, particularly those living below the poverty line. The survey builds on earlier PECS rounds while incorporating methodological improvements and reflects the resumption of the series following interruptions due to financing constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sample survey data [ssd]
Household and individual
Version
2026-04-10
Scope
The survey covers the following topics:
- Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics
- Labor Force and Employment Status
- Housing Conditions and Utilities
- Social Assistance and Coping Strategies
- Household Income and Sources of Revenue
- Household Expenditure and Consumption Patterns
Coverage
West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza.
Note: Data for the West Bank and East Jerusalem cover all four quarters of 2023, while data for Gaza are available only for the first three quarters due to the outbreak of the war.
All private households residing in the Palestinian territories during the survey reference period.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics |
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund | UNICEF | Funding |
| World Food Programme | WFP | Funding |
| World Bank Group | WBG | Funding |
| European Union | EU | Funding |
Sampling
The PECS 2023 is based on a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design. In the first stage, 586 enumeration areas were selected as primary sampling units. In the second stage, 12 households were selected within each enumeration area. The sample was stratified by governorate and locality type (urban, rural, camp). To manage variability in the precision of key indicators, the design allocated a larger number of sampling units to strata characterized by higher uncertainty in estimates of consumption from previous PECS rounds. Enumeration areas within each governorate were randomly assigned across quarters to enable the production of representative quarterly estimates.
Data collection in Gaza was interrupted in October 2023, making it impossible to complete fourth-quarter fieldwork in that area. As a result, the realized sample differs from the planned annual sample, with Gaza data covering only the first three quarters of 2023. Data collection continued as planned in the West Bank and East Jerusalem throughout all four quarters. This deviation required adjustments in weighting and limits the production of full-year estimates for the Palestinian territories.
The final realized sample included 4,373 households out of a planned sample of 6,528 households (removing Q4 households from the planned sample for Gaza), corresponding to an overall response rate of 67 percent. Response rates varied by area: 64 percent in the West Bank, 71 percent in East Jerusalem, and 75 percent in Gaza.
Given the unusual structure of the realized sample, three sets of survey weights were constructed for the PECS 2023. Quarterly weights (hhrwq) allow the calculation of quarterly estimates for the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza for the quarters in which data were collected. Three-quarters weights (hhrw) refer to the average population during the first three quarters of 2023 and enable estimation for the Palestinian territories, the West Bank, and Gaza. Annual weights (hhrwWBY) were constructed for the West Bank to use the full four quarters of available data.
Weights were constructed in four steps:
(1) calculation of design weights as the inverse of household inclusion probabilities;
(2) adjustment based on the planned share of sampled enumeration areas covered;
(3) adjustment for non-response and calibration to known population totals by sampling strata; and
(4) minimal trimming of calibrated weights to reduce the impact of excessively large weights.
All weights variables can be found in the hhweight data file. For analyst convenience, a fourth variable (weight) combines annual weights for the West Bank and three-quarters weights for Gaza.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2023-01 | 2023-12 |
- Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]
Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires. Household information was obtained from a knowledgeable household member. Fieldwork was conducted throughout all four quarters of 2023 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and during the first three quarters of 2023 in Gaza. Data collection in Gaza was halted in October 2023 due to the outbreak of war.
Data processing
Data processing included consistency and validation checks, treatment of missing and inconsistent responses, construction and calibration of survey weights, and anonymization procedures to protect respondent confidentiality. Weights were calibrated to known population totals by sampling strata and minimally trimmed to reduce the impact of extreme values.
Data Access
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example:
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Expenditure and Consumption Survey 2023. Ref. PSE_2023_PECS_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from [source] on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Metadata production
DDI_PSE_2023_PECS_v01_M
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Data Group | DECDG | World Bank Group | Documentation of the survey |
Metadata version
Version 01 (May 2026)