Syria
Country in Asia
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 25.6M (2025). World rank 57 of 216; in Asia, 22 of 49. Area: 185,180 km². World rank 90 of 249; in Asia, 24 of 50. GDP per person: $1,057 (2022). World rank 196 of 210 (1 = best); in Asia, 46 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 19.4M → 25.6M. Worse than all its neighbours (Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye): GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Local name
- سوريا
- Capital
- Damascus
- Region
- Asia
- Form of government
- In transition
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Ahmed al-Sharaa
- Independence
- April 17, 1946
- Women in parliament
- 4.9% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 25,620,427 2025
- Area
- 185,180 km²
- GDP
- $23.7B 2022
- GDP per person
- $1,057 2022
- Life expectancy
- 72.6 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Syrian Pound (SYP)
- Time zones
- UTC+3
- Calling code
- +963
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 112, 113
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, E, L
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 193
- Neighbours
- Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye
- Agricultural land
- 74.1% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Hermon, 2,814 m
- Lowest point
- Yarmuk River, -66 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 514
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 16
- Warmest month in the capital
- July, 26°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 5°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 252 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 138.4 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +3.8% 2025
- Living in cities
- 72.1% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +421.7K 2025
- Born in another country
- 3.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 28.4% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 66.7% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 4.8% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 74.9 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 70.2 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 23.2 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 4.9 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 87%, Christian 10%, and other 3%
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 28.7 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 15.4 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 19.9 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 24.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 28 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $4,905 2022
- GDP growth per year
- -0.2% 2022
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $720 2022
- Inflation
- +13.4% 2019
- Price level, USA = 100
- 32 2022
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 42.9% 2022
- Industry, share of GDP
- 11.9% 2022
- Services, share of GDP
- 44.7% 2022
- Unemployment
- 13.6% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 33.1% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 12.7% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 6.8% 2022
- Imports, share of GDP
- 28.7% 2022
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -0.6% 2010
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.2% 2011
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 2.6% 2010
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 26.4 2022
- Living on under $3 a day
- 18% 2022
Education
- Adult literacy
- 94.4% 2021
- Primary school enrolment
- 81.4% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 38.7% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 43.8% 2016
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 5.1% 2009
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 2.7% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $33 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 72.4% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 1.5 2021
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.8 2021
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.4 2021
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 81% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 17.7 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 18.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 20 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 19% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 71.1% 2022
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 94.1% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 95.7% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 96% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 2.1 2010
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 14.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 0.6 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 25 2025
- Natural hazards
- volcanoes and dust and sand storms
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 32.1 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.3 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.9 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 2.9% 2024
- Protected areas
- 0.7% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 318 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 124% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 33.8% 2018
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 71 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 6.9 2023
- Internet domain
- .sy سوريا.
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 89.3% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 660 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 1.1% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 3.4% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 80.7% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 610,745 2023
- Airports
- 42 2025
- Railways, km
- 2,052 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0% 2022
- Researchers per million people
- 140 2022
- Scientific articles per year
- 646 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 104 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.4% 2010