Syria

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Syria spends US$2.247 million on its military, or 5.56 percent of its GDP. This makes Syria the 59th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.11 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Syria, called the Syrian Armed Forces consists of a Navy, air forces and land forces which have the president of Syria as its commander in chief. Its military started small since its independence, but with the help of equipment and training by the French, it has grown into one of the largest armies in the region. Military conscription has been in place since its independence, but has had a decrease in duration.

Military membership

Syria is also a member of 5 international military organizations. This makes it the 89th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Syria has partaken in 16 international wars. These are:

Alawite Revolt1919-1919
Franco-Syrian War 1910-1910
Great Syrian Revolt 1915-1917
Arab–Israeli War 1948-1949
Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency 1949-1956

Reprisal operations 1951-1966
Six-Day War 1967-1967
War of Attrition 1967-1970
Black September in Jordan 1970-1971
Yom Kippur War 1973-1973

Iran–Iraq War 1980-1988
Lebanon War 1981-1985
Gulf War 1990-1991
Shebaa Farms conflict 2000-2006
Lebanon War 2006-2006
Syrian Civil War 2011-2025

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Syria is a member of 9 international political organizations. This makes it the 166th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Arab League
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Interpol
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Because of the governmental crackdown on protesters, it's Civil War with alleged war crimes and heavy restrictions on the freedom of speech, it is currently the 174th most democratic state in the world. Prior to the start of the Civil War, the government has made concessions to its population in regards to freedom of speech and the right to protest. However, these actions were not implemented due to the start of the civil war. With a new government, Syria had a chance to become more democratic.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Syria take place in the form of a republic where the president is head of state as well as head of government. It is argued that the power of the presidency has been absolute and has held large influences on its media and judiciary system.

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Known for having one of the oldest civilizations in the world, many world heritage sites as well as its civil war, Syria, or the Syrian Arab Republic, has had a tumultuous start in the 21st century. Throughout its early history, Syria was a part of large regional empires such as the Assyrian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Roman empire and the Empire of Alexander the great. After converting to Islam in the seventh century during the Arab conquest, the area became contested between the Seljuk Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Mongol Empire. At start of the 16th century, the area came under the control of the Ottoman Empire which held on to the territory until the end of the first world war in 1918 when it became part of the French Empire. After several rebellions, Syria became an independent state in 1946. Since then, Syria has seen several coups with the latest being in 1970 when the Ba'ath party took control through its Minister of Defence. After his death in 2000, his son took over. After growing discontent over this leadership at the start of 2010, and as a result of a violent crackdown against demonstrations, a civil war ensued which has seen the rise of several factions that aligned itself through religious, ethnic and ideological lines. At the start of 2025, the faction Hayat Tahrir Al Sham has gained almost full control of the Syrian territory and rebuilding has started to begin.

Located in the Levant of the middle east, the geography of Syria is made up of low-lying mountains and a flat central plane. Most of its terrain is covered by deserts with the exception of its northern and western part which are mainly used for agriculture. In total, Syria borders five other states with Turkey to its north, Iraq to its east and southeast, Jordan out to its south, Israel to its southwest and Lebanon to its west. It is also directly located on the Mediterranean Sea to its west.

It has a total surface area of 186.106 square kilometers or 71.858 square miles. This makes Syria slightly smaller than Cambodia and slightly larger than Senegal.

It has a total water surface area of 1558 square kilometers or 603 square miles. This makes Syria the 96th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water supply comes from springs and underground wells and is considered unsafe to drink. However, its larger cities have a water supply which has a disputed quality of drinking water.

The climate of Syria is a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and moderate winters. There is a small desert climate located to its southeastern part. The average temperature is 18.1 degrees Celsius or 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Syria the 118th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 23.2 degrees Celsius or 74 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 12.1 degrees Celsius or 53.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rain mainly occurs during its winter months with December and January receiving more than 80 percent of all rainfall. Rainfall is also unevenly spread out throughout Syria with its Western parts receiving up to five times as much as its eastern part. On average, Syria receives 34.5 centimetres or 13.6 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 172nd highest in the world.

The capital of Syria, Damascus, is home to roughly 2.3 million people. The closest capital is Beirut, Lebanon, with a distance of 98 kilometers or 61 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Nukualofa, Tonga, with a distance of 16.640 kilometers or 10.339 miles.

Because of the civil war its economy has taken a large hit of which it is still recovering. The information represented is based pre-a war conditions. Prior to the Civil War, the economy of Syria has been mainly based on oil, services and agriculture and was a mixed economy with private freedom, but high governmental control. As of 2022, its economy has shown signs of growth, but the majority of its population lives below the poverty line. Most of its exported goods are oil, grains and spices which are mainly exported to Iraq which is solely responsible for more than 20 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from Turkey, Italy, China and Russia which combined represent roughly 30 percent of all imports.

Syria is a member of 8 international economic organizations. This makes it the 181st most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Group of 77
Group of 24

It has a GDP of US$32.665 million, which makes it the 141st highest in the world and represents 0.039 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 152nd highest in the world with US$176.610 per square kilometer or US$457.382 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 143rd highest in the world with US$519.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 165th highest in the world with US$2.900.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 17.2 million people, Syria is the 69th most populous state in the world. It is made up of many different ethnic groups due to its long history with other empires. Despite having Arab as its official language, there are large ethnic minorities such as the Kurds, the Armenians and the Bedouins.

It has the 93rd highest population density in the world with 92 people per square kilometer or 239 people per square mile.

Despite being the 69th most populous state in the world, it has one of the largest migrant groups in the world. Because of the Civil War, more than 8.2 million people, or nearly 50 percent of its population, has fled Syria. This makes it the fourth state with the highest amount of emigrants and represents 3.3 percent of total global emigration. The largest recipients of Syrian migrants have been Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey which have taken in roughly 85 percent of all Syrian refugees.

Despite being in a Civil War, it has also received roughly 800,000 migrants, or 4.7 percent of the population. These are mainly Palestinians the that have fled from Palestine due its conflict with Israel as well as refugees from Iraq.

Despite having a large portion of the population living in poverty, the government of Syria has invested some of its funds into education and has made it compulsory between the ages of four and 18. However, there is a discrepancy between school going boys and girls. The latter of which has been limited due to social and religious reasons. Its current literacy rate is 84.2 percent which is the 131st highest in the world.

Because of its civil war, its health care has been declining rapidly. Also, with the decline of its economy, upkeep and maintenance of sanitation systems have led to outbreaks of communicable diseases since 2014. Other health threats to the population are malnutrition which can lead to health problems later on in life. The average life expectancy is 76 years which is the 114th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 79.1 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 73.1 years.

The government of Syria provides freedom of religion towards all religions. Also, because of its many religions, each adherent to a religion is free to follow that specific religious legal system.

Christianity is represented by 4.4 percent of the population which makes Syria the 165th most Christian state in the world. Christianity has been introduced during the first century in Syria and has been growing until the seventh century. Since the Arab conquest, many Christians and Muslims lived in peace throughout the centuries until the Ottoman Empire started to kill its Christian population which caused many Syrian Christians to flee. Another large exodus was during the end of the 20th century when the Syrian government started to favour Islam above other religions and expropriated properties of Christians.

Islam is represented by 92.9 percent of the population which makes it the 27th most Islamic state in the world. The largest denomination is Sunni Islam followed by the Alawites and a small Shia minority. Islam has been introduced to Syria during the Muslim conquest of 634 and has been a part of larger Islamic empires until its independence.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Syria.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Syria.

Less than 0.03 percent of the population adheres to Judaism which are mainly situated in the capital Damascus.

Other religions represent 0.07 percent of the population and are mainly Bedouin religions that believe in spirit worshiping.

There are no irreligious people in Syria due to social stigma and a lack of government censuses on this topic.