Syria Demographics

What is the population of Syria?

Population 19,398,448
Population - note note: approximately 20,500 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights
Population Growth Rate 0.15%
Urban Population 56.1%
Population in Major Urban Areas Aleppo 3.164 million; DAMASCUS (capital) 2.65 million; Hims 1.369 million; Hamah 933,000
Nationality Noun Syrian(s)
Nationality Adjective Syrian
Ethnic Groups Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Languages Spoken Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Syria Health Information

What are the health conditions in Syria?

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49 58.3%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 3.67
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved 87.2%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved 9.9%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved 92.3%
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP 3.7%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 0.07%
HIV/Aids Deaths 150
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population 1.5
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births 12.31
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births 16.83
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births 14.63
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 70
Obesity - adult prevalence rate 27.1%
People Living with HIV/AIDS 450
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population 1
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved 4.3%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved 96.2%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved 95.1%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 2.77
Underweight - percent of children under five years 10.1%

Syria Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Syria?

Life Expectancy at Birth 75 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female 77 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male 72 Years
Median Age 22 Years
Median Age - female 22 Years
Median Age - male 22 Years

Syria Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Syria median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population 23
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 3.67
Median Age 22 Years
Median Age - female 22 Years
Median Age - male 22 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population -17.89
Population Growth Rate 0.15%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female 1.05
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female 1.03
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female 1
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female 1.01
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female 1.06
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female 1.03
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female .85

Syria Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Syria?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Basic medical care and medicines are available in Syria’s principal cities, but not necessarily in outlying areas. Serious illnesses and emergencies may require evacuation to a Western medical facility.

Syria Education

What is school like in Syria?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP 5.1%
Literacy - female 64%
Literacy - male 89.7%
Literacy - total population 76.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
School Life Expectancy - female 12 Years
School Life Expectancy - male 12 Years
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary) 12 Years

Syria Literacy

Can people in Syria read?

Literacy - female 64%
Literacy - male 89.7%
Literacy - total population 76.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Syria Crime

Is Syria a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

The rate of crime in major Syrian cities is difficult to determine due to the continued fighting throughout the country. The current unrest and significant deterioration of the Syrian economy have led to a perceived increase in criminal activity. You should apply the same personal security awareness practices overseas as you do in U.S. cities.

Women in Syria, particularly those dressed in a style perceived as Western, have reported harassment, stalking, and unwelcome advances of a sexual nature. Many of these incidents have involved taxi drivers. Incidents typically entail verbal sexual harassment, staring, and/or touching. Women should take precautions including dressing conservatively (especially in the Old City), not traveling alone, and avoiding travel to unfamiliar areas at night. Women should not generally sit in the front seat of a taxi. Unnecessary conversation with the taxi driver may be perceived as an invitation for closer personal relations. Both men and women should always carry a cell phone, if possible.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Syria Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Syria, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own.

For example, under the Narcotics Act, article 39, Syria imposes the death penalty for drug trafficking or cultivation. Women who are arrested under suspicion of immoral behavior (e.g. being alone in a room with a man who is not the woman’s husband, or being in a residence where drugs or alcohol are being consumed) may be subjected to a virginity test. In addition, the Syrian government monitors the activities of all groups, including religious groups, anddiscourages proselytizing, which it deems a threat to relations among religious groups. In some places you may be taken in for questioningif you don’t have your passport with you. In some places, it is illegal to take pictures of certain buildings. In some places, driving under the influence could land you immediately in jail. These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Syria, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not wherever you go.

While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in a foreign country, that might not always be the case. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

Syria Population Comparison

All Countries
Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan, South Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe