Syria
Syria⌘K
Overview
- Background
- After World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost control of the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional, albeit unsuccessful, peace talks over its return. In 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'ath Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in 2000. Syrian troops that were stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role were withdrawn in 2005. During the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was again approved in a referendum.
In the wake of major uprisings elsewhere in the region, antigovernment protests broke out in the southern province of Dar'a in 2011. Protesters called for the legalization of political parties, the removal of corrupt local officials, and the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge. Demonstrations and violent unrest spread across Syria, and the government responded with concessions, but also with military force and detentions that led to extended clashes and eventually civil war. International pressure on the Syrian Government intensified after 2011, as the Arab League, the EU, Turkey, and the US expanded economic sanctions against the ASAD regime and those entities that supported it. In 2012, more than 130 countries recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. In 2015, Russia launched a military intervention on behalf of the ASAD regime, and domestic and foreign-government-aligned forces recaptured swaths of territory from opposition forces. With foreign support, the regime continued to periodically regain opposition-held territory until 2020, when Turkish firepower halted a regime advance and forced a stalemate between regime and opposition forces. The government lacks territorial control over much of the northeastern part of the country, which the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold, and a smaller area dominated by Turkey.
Since 2016, Turkey has conducted three large-scale military operations to capture territory along Syria's northern border. Some opposition forces organized under the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and Turkish forces have maintained control of northwestern Syria along the Turkish border with the Afrin area of Aleppo Province since 2018. The violent extremist organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Nusrah Front) emerged in 2017 as the predominant opposition force in Idlib Province, and still dominates an area also hosting Turkish forces. Negotiations have failed to produce a resolution to the conflict, and the UN estimated in 2022 that at least 306,000 people have died during the civil war. Approximately 6.7 million Syrians were internally displaced as of 2022, and 14.6 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across the country. An additional 5.6 million Syrians were registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and North Africa. The conflict in Syria remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the full-scale invasion of Ukraine).
On 8 December 2024, Syrian Islamist rebels captured the capital city of Damascus and overthrew President Bashar al-ASAD. The former president and his family fled to Moscow, where they were granted political asylum. The al-ASAD regime had ruled Syria for over 50 years.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 185,887 sq km
- Note
- note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
- Water
- 1,550 sq km
- Total
- 187,437 sq km
- Climate
- mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
- Terrain
- primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Land Use
- Other
- 23% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 2.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 74.1% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 24% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 5.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 44.5% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
- Coastline
- 193 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Yarmuk River -66 m
- Highest point
- Mount Hermon (Jabal a-Shayk) 2,814 m
- Mean elevation
- 514 m
- Irrigated land
- 9,820 sq km (2022)
- Map references
- Middle East
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 2,363 km
- Border countries
- Iraq 599 km; Israel 83 km; Jordan 379 km; Lebanon 403 km; Turkey 899 km
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Natural hazards
- dust storms, sandstorms
volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border, have not erupted in centuries - Geography note
- the capital of Damascus is located at an oasis fed by the Barada River and is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are Israeli settlements and civilian land-use sites in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (2017)
- Natural resources
- petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
- Area comparative
- slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania
- Geographic coordinates
- 35 00 N, 38 00 E
- Population distribution
- 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
Major Watersheds (Area Sq Km)
- Indian ocean drainage
- (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
- Major rivers (BY length in km)
- Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
People & Society
Literacy
- Male
- 97.2% (2021 est.)
- Female
- 91.8% (2021 est.)
- Total population
- 94.4% (2021 est.)
Languages
- Languages
- 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.
- Religions
- Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.88 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 21.26 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 3.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 23.6 years
- Total
- 24.5 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 24.7 years
Population
- Male
- 12,183,128
- Total
- 24,261,882 (2025 est.)
- Female
- 12,078,754
Nationality
- Noun
- Syrian(s)
- Adjective
- Syrian
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 57.4% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 33% (male 4,037,493/female 3,828,777)
- 15 64 years
- 62.8% (male 7,475,355/female 7,522,797)
- 65 years and over
- 4.2% (2024 est.) (male 468,730/female 532,271)
- Ethnic groups
- Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 58.1 (2025 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 51.2 (2025 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 14.5 (2025 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 6.9 (2025 est.)
- Physician density
- 1.52 physicians/1,000 population (2021)
- Health expenditure
- 7.8% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Hospital bed density
- 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 2.64 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 92.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 94.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 95.6% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 7.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 5.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 4.4% of population (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 16.6 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 1.63% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 1.28 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- 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
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 73.4 years
- Female
- 76.4 years
- Total population
- 74.8 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 20 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 99.3% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 2.585 million DAMASCUS (capital), 2.203 million Aleppo, 1.443 million Hims (Homs), 996,000 Hamah (2023)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 27.8% (2016)
Government
Civica · structure
How power is organised
ExecutiveLegislative
- Flag
- description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black; three five-pointed red stars in a horizontal line, centered on the white band
meaning: the design is the same as a previous Syrian national flag (in use 1932-58 and 1961-63), but it is still unclear if the elements will retain the same meanings; the bands formerly represented Syria’s past rulers: white (Umayyad Caliphate), black (Abbasid Caliphate), and green (Rashidun Caliphate); the first star represented Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor, the three administrative subdivisions in Syria in the 1930s; the second star stood for Jabal Druze (the Mountain of the Druze), and the third star for the Alawite Mountains
history: in 2011, opponents to the Asad regime adopted the flag; in 2025, it became the new national flag, replacing the two-star design
Capital
- Name
- Damascus
- Etymology
- the city has an ancient, pre-Semitic name of unknown origin
- Time difference
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Geographic coordinates
- 33 30 N, 36 18 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
- 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
Constitution
- History
- Syria's 2012 constitution was rescinded by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led government in January 2025; in March 2025, interim authorities announced a transitional constitution to remain in effect for up to five years
Country Name
- Former
- United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
- Etymology
- the source of the name is uncertain; the name appears as "Suri" in Babylonian cuneiform writings dating from about 4000 B.C.
- Local long form
- Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
- Local short form
- Suriyah
- Conventional long form
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Conventional short form
- Syria
- Independence
- 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
- Legal system
- mixed system of civil and Islamic (sharia) law (for family courts)
- Government type
- transitional presidential republic
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military divisions, each with 3 judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members)
- Subordinate courts
- courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court
- Judge selection and term of office
- Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice with 7 members, including the national president; judge tenure NA; Supreme Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC; judges serve 4-year renewable terms
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president
- Chief of state
- Ahmad al-Shara'; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024
- Election results
2021: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 95.2%, Mahmoud Ahmad MAREI (Democratic Arab Socialist Union) 3.3%, other 1.5%
2014: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2%, other/invalid 3.8%- Head of government
- Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024)
- Most recent election date
- 26 May 2021
- Election/appointment process
- president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister
- Expected date of next election
- 2028
- National holiday
- Independence Day (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946)
- National color(s)
- red, white, black, green
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 6 (all cultural)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Ancient City of Damascus; Ancient City of Bosra; Site of Palmyra; Ancient City of Aleppo; Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din; Ancient Villages of Northern Syria
- Political parties
- legal parties/alliances:
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Arab Socialist (Ba'ath) Party – Syrian Regional
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syrian Regional Branch, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party
Arab Socialist Union of Syria or ASU
Democratic Arab Socialist Union
National Progressive Front or NPF
Socialist Unionist Democratic Party
Socialist Unionist Party
Syrian Communist Party (two branches)
Syrian Social Nationalist Party or SSNP
Unionist Socialist Party
major political organizations:
Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD
Kurdish National Council or KNC
Syriac Union Party
Syrian Democratic Council or SDC
Syrian Democratic Party
Syrian Opposition Coalition
de facto governance entities:
Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria or DAANES
Syrian Interim Government or SIG
Syrian Salvation Government or SSG
Legislative Branch
- Term in office
- 4 years
- Number of seats
- 210 (140 indirectly elected; 70 appointed)
- Electoral system
- plurality/majority
- Legislature name
- People's Assembly (Majlis Al-Chaab)
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 10/5/2025
- Expected date of next election
- March 2030
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 9.6%
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- “Ħumāt ad-Diyār (Guardians of the Homeland)
- History
- adopted 1936, restored 1961; the country had a different anthem between 1958 and 1961, when Syria was part of the United Arab Republic
- Lyrics/music
- Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL
- National symbol(s)
- northern bald ibis
- Administrative divisions
- 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus), Halab (Aleppo), Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none
note: operations at the embassy were suspended on 18 March 2014
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Mailing address
- 6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC 20521-6110
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador (vacant); note - on 6 February 2012, the US suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus; Czechia serves as a protecting power for US interests in Syria
- Email address and website
USIS_damascus@embassy.mzv.cz
https://sy.usembassy.gov/
- International organisations
- ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, ICSID, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WBG, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
- International law organization participation
- has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICC
Legislature
SYRIA · LEGISLATURE
People's Assembly
210 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
210
Majority line
106
Largest party
National Bloc
Parties
13
All political parties
Economy
Budget
- Note
- note: government projections for FY2016
- Revenues
- $1.162 billion (2017 est.)
- Expenditures
- $3.211 billion (2017 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $1.6B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2020
- $1.649 billion (2020 est.)
- Exports 2021
- $2.227 billion (2021 est.)
- Exports 2022
- $1.609 billion (2022 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $6.8B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2020
- $3.751 billion (2020 est.)
- Imports 2021
- $6.56 billion (2021 est.)
- Imports 2022
- $6.803 billion (2022 est.)
- Industries
- petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, automobile assembly
- Labor force
- 6.617 million (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 91.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
- Public debt 2016
- 91.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2021
- 0% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Remittances 2022
- 0% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 0% of GDP (2023 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2018
- 436.5 (2018 est.)
- Exchange rates 2019
- 436.5 (2019 est.)
- Exchange rates 2020
- 877.945 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 1,256 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 2,505.747 (2022 est.)
Debt External
- Note
- note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
- Debt external 2023
- $4.573 billion (2023 est.)
- Economic overview
- low-income Middle Eastern economy; prior infrastructure and economy devastated by 11-year civil war; ongoing US sanctions; sporadic trans-migration during conflict; currently being supported by World Bank trust fund; ongoing hyperinflation
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 13.6%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 13.3% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 13.2% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 13% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- Turkey 29%, Saudi Arabia 16%, Lebanon 10%, India 10%, UAE 5% (2023)
- Imports partners
- Turkey 49%, UAE 11%, China 8%, Egypt 7%, Lebanon 3% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $4,200 (2023 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2021
- $4,600 (2021 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $4,500 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $4,200 (2023 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 0.7%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2021
- 1.9% (2021 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 0.7% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- -1.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural products
- wheat, barley, milk, sheep milk, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, maize, oranges, grapes (2023)
- Exports commodities
- olive oil, phosphates, spice seeds, cotton, tomatoes (2023)
- Imports commodities
- tobacco, plastics, wheat flours, plastic products, seed oils (2023)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $19.993 billion (2023 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 114.8% (2022 est.)
- Government consumption
- 2.7% (2022 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 4.5% (2022 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 6.8% (2022 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -28.8% (2022 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 94.1% (2022 est.)
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
- 114.2% (2020 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
- 98.3% (2021 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 94.1% (2022 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- -13.4% (2022 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $98.858 billion (2023 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
- $99.338 billion (2021 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $100.066 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $98.858 billion (2023 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 27.8% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 31.5% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 47.9% (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 12% (2022 est.)
- Services
- 44.9% (2022 est.)
- Agriculture
- 43.1% (2022 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 3.8% (2022 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 21.1% (2022 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2022
- 26.6 (2022 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Imports
- 15,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 15,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- Total petroleum production
- 65,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Crude oil estimated reserves
- 2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 102,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Exports
- 358.723 million kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 15.522 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 9.636 million kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 4.214 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Production
- 2.763 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 2.763 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 240.693 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Electricity Access
- Electrification rural areas
- 75%
- Electrification urban areas
- 100%
- Electrification total population
- 89% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 13.569 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Solar
- 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 95.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Hydroelectricity
- 3.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Biomass and waste
- 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 35% (2019 est.)
- Broadcast media
- state-run TV has 2 networks and 5 satellite channels; roughly two-thirds of homes have a satellite dish with access to foreign TV; 3 state-run radio channels; first private radio station launched in 2005; private radio broadcasters prohibited from transmitting news or political content (2018)
- Internet country code
- .sy
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 2.816 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 12 (2023 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 17.6 million (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 71 (2024 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 1.62 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 7 (2023 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 1
- Small
- 1
- Medium
- 1
- Key ports
- Al Ladhiqiyah, Baniyas, Tartus
- Very small
- 0
- Total ports
- 3 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 3
- Airports
- 42 (2025)
Railways
- Total
- 2,052 km (2014)
- Narrow gauge
- 251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge
- Standard gauge
- 1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
- Heliports
- 13 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 24 (2023)
- BY type
- bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 13
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- YK
Environment
- Climate
- mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
Land Use
- Other
- 23% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 2.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 74.1% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 24% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 5.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 44.5% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 57.4% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane Emissions
- Other
- 1.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Waste
- 138 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Energy
- 519.8 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 144.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 4.5 million tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 2.5% (2010 est.)
- Environmental issues
- deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; depletion of water resources; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 1.475 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Industrial
- 615.4 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Agricultural
- 14.67 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 20.243 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 5.42 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From coal and metallurgical coke
- 33,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 14.79 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 25.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 16.802 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental Agreements
- Party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- Signed, but not ratified
- Environmental Modification
Military & Security
- Military note
- as of September 2025, the government did not exercise control over all of Syria; areas of the northeast were under the control of ethnic Kurdish-led forces and areas south of the capital Damascus were controlled by members of the Druze religious minority; Turkish forces remained in parts of the north, while Israeli forces had moved into formerly demilitarized areas between Syria and Israel and into some Syrian territory near the frontier
the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; UNDOF has about 1,300 personnel (2025)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 6.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
- Military expenditures 2015
- 7.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
- Military expenditures 2016
- 6.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
- Military expenditures 2017
- 6.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
- Military expenditures 2018
- 6.7% of GDP (2018 est.)
- Military expenditures 2019
- 6.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
- Military and security forces
- the interim government authorities in Syria have established a Ministry of Defense and are attempting to unify the dozens of armed factions operating in Syria under a single, state-linked army; it has also established a Ministry of Interior to manage police and other security forces (2025)
- Military service age and obligation
- under Bashar al-ASAD, Syrian men aged 18-38 were required to serve 18-21 months in the military; conscription continued until ASAD's fall when the interim government announced that mandatory conscription to Syria’s armed forces would be abolished and only be reinstated in extreme cases, such as national emergencies relating to war (2025)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the military forces of Syria are equipped with Russian and Soviet-era armaments (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- not available
Terrorism
- Terrorist group(s)
- Abdallah Azzam Brigades; Ansar al-Islam; Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq; Hizballah; Hurras al-Din; Islamic Jihad Union; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Kata'ib Hizballah; Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); al-Qa'ida; Palestine Liberation Front (PLF); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); PFLP-General Command (PLFP-GC)
Space
- Space agency/agencies
- Syrian Space Agency (created in 2014); status is unclear since the fall of the ASAD Government (2025)
- Space program overview
- status unclear; has been handicapped by the impact of the civil war, including the loss of students and scientists who fled the country; had previously focused on satellite development and related space technologies, as well as scientific research; has relations with the space agency and space industries of Russia (2024)
- Key space program milestones
- 1987 - first and only Syrian astronaut into space as part of a Soviet-crewed mission to the Mir Space Station under the Intercosmos program
2016 - signed a scientific cooperation agreement in the field of space technology and remote sensing with Russia
2018 - announced that developing a satellite would be a primary goal of the space program
Transnational Issues
Trafficking in Persons
- Tier rating
- Tier 3 — Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Syria remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Idps
- 7,408,809 (2024 est.)
- Refugees
- 16,402 (2024 est.)
- Stateless persons
- 160,000 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Index8.0 / 100as of 2024-Q4187 / 190−13.02024-Q4
V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.05as of 2024-Q4153 / 170+0.032024-Q4
Freedom House StatusNot Free (0/100)as of 2024-Q4—−7.02024-Q4
Press Freedom (RSF)Restricted press (22/100)as of 2024—2024
Corruption Perceptions Index13 / 100as of 2023177 / 1802023
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Syria — vintage 2026-Q1: Syria factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/syria
Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata