Syria People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

22,933,531 (2023 est.)

note: approximately 22,900 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2018)

Nationality

noun: Syrian(s)

adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups

Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian)

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.

Arabic audio sample:
Kurdish audio sample:

Religions

Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%

note:  the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war

MENA religious affiliation

Age structure

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)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 55.4

youth dependency ratio: 53

elderly dependency ratio: 7.4

potential support ratio: 13.5 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 23.5 years

male: 23 years

female: 24 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

6.39% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

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

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

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Urbanization

urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)

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

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

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

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

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

30 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 15.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 17.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.55 years

male: 73.09 years

female: 76.1 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.74 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.33 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99.6% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.4% of population

rural: 0.7% of population

total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

N/A

Physicians density

1.29 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 99.5% of population

rural: 99.5% of population

total: 99.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population

rural: 0.5% of population

total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

27.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

N/A

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

52.6% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

N/A

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 86.4%

male: 91.7%

female: 81% (2015)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years

male: 9 years

female: 9 years (2013)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 26.2%

male: 21.6%

female: 51.1% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Syria on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Syria 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Syria 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.