Capital

Arabische Republik Syrien

name: Damascus

geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins midnight on the last Friday in March; ends at midnight on the last Friday in October

etymology: Damascus is a very old city; its earliest name, Temeseq, first appears in an Egyptian geographical list of the 15th century B.C., but the meaning is uncertain

Citizenship

Arabische Republik Syrien

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Syria; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen of Syria

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Legal system

Arabische Republik Syrien

mixed legal system of civil and Islamic (sharia) law (for family courts)

Suffrage

Arabische Republik Syrien

18 years of age; universal

Area

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 187,437 sq km

land: 185,887 sq km

water: 1,550 sq km

note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Land use

Arabische Republik Syrien

agricultural land: 75.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 25.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 44.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 2.7% (2018 est.)

other: 21.5% (2018 est.)

Location

Arabische Republik Syrien

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey

Age structure

Arabische Republik Syrien

0-14 years: 33.27% (male 3,914,737/female 3,716,362)

15-64 years: 62.58% (male 7,141,423/female 7,209,386)

65 years and over: 4.15% (2023 est.) (male 445,288/female 506,335)

Birth rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

22.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

4.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Arabische Republik Syrien

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Arabische Republik Syrien

total population: 74.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 73.1 years

female: 76.1 years

Major urban areas - population

Arabische Republik Syrien

2.585 million DAMASCUS (capital), 2.203 million Aleppo, 1.443 million Hims (Homs), 996,000 Hamah (2023)

Median age

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 23.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 23.3 years

female: 24.5 years

Net migration rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

45.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.) NA

Population distribution

Arabische Republik Syrien

significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Population growth rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

6.39% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

2.74 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Arabische Republik Syrien

urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Arabische Republik Syrien

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 9 years

male: 9 years

female: 9 years (2013)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Arabische Republik Syrien

-8.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

-14.77% (2020 est.)

Labor force

Arabische Republik Syrien

6.143 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Arabische Republik Syrien

82.5% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

Arabische Republik Syrien

10.57% (2021 est.)

10.26% (2020 est.)

8.77% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Arabische Republik Syrien

94.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

91.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Arabische Republik Syrien

28.1% (2017 est.)

47.3% (2016 est.)

Exports

Arabische Republik Syrien

$1.85 billion (2017 est.)

$1.705 billion (2016 est.)

Exports - partners

Arabische Republik Syrien

Saudi Arabia 23%, Turkey 18%, Egypt 14%, United Arab Emirates 8%, Jordan 7%, Kuwait 5% (2019)

Imports

Arabische Republik Syrien

$6.279 billion (2017 est.)

$5.496 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - partners

Arabische Republik Syrien

Turkey 27%, China 22%, United Arab Emirates 14%, Egypt 5% (2019)

Airports

Arabische Republik Syrien

90 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 1,549,356 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 8,492,468 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 46.6% (2022 est.)

Railways

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 2,052 km (2014)

standard gauge: 1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge

Roadways

Arabische Republik Syrien

total: 69,873 km (2010)

paved: 63,060 km (2010)

unpaved: 6,813 km (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

Arabische Republik Syrien

total subscriptions: 2,821,171 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Arabische Republik Syrien

total subscriptions: 16,990,714 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Arabische Republik Syrien

900 km (2011) (navigable but not economically significant)

Disputes - international

Arabische Republik Syrien

Syria-Iraq: none identified

Syria-Israel: Golan Heights is Israeli-controlled with UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1974; because of ceasefire violations and increased military activity in the Golan Heights, the UN Security Council continues to extend UNDOF’s mandate; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms in the Golan Heights

Syria-Jordan: the two countries signed an agreement in 2005 to settle the border dispute based on a 1931 demarcation accord; the two countries began demarcation in 2006

Syria-Lebanon: discussions on demarcating the two countries’ maritime borders were held in April 2021, after Syria signed a contract with a Russian company to conduct oil and gas exploration in a disputed maritime area, but the issue was not resolved

Syria-Turkey: none identified