Population: 14,886,672 (July 1994 est.)
note: in addition, there are 30,500 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights--16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and 14,000 Jewish settlers (1994 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.74% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 43.65 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 42.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.46 years
male: 65.37 years
female: 67.61 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian

Ethnic divisions: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French widely understood

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 64%
male: 78%
female: 51%
Labor force: 2.951 million (1989)
by occupation: miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry and construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)

NOTE: The information regarding Syria on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Syria People 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Syria People 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.