Syria

Broadcast media

state-run TV and radio broadcast networks; state operates 2 TV networks and a satellite channel; roughly two-thirds of Syrian homes have a satellite dish providing access to foreign TV broadcasts; 3 state-run radio channels; first private radio station launched in 2005; private radio broadcasters prohibited from transmitting news or political content (2007)

Internet country code

.sy

Internet users

total: 4.8 million | percent of population: 26.7% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 15, shortwave 26 (2010)

Telephone system

general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology and expansion of the network to rural areas; the armed insurgency that began in 2011 has led to major disruptions to the network and has caused telephone and Internet outages throughout the country | domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing with telephone subscribership nearly 60 per 100 persons in 2011 | international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Egypt, Lebanon, and Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 3.99 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 15.6 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 87 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Television broadcast stations

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Budget

revenues: $1.73 billion | expenditures: $5.5 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-5.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 179

Central bank discount rate

0.75% (31 December 2014) | 5% (31 December 2013) | country comparison to the world: 139

Commercial bank prime lending rate

17% (31 December 2014 est.) | 16% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28

Current account balance

-$4.575 billion (2014 est.) | -$5.205 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Debt - external

$11.64 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $9.904 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 99

Economy - overview

Syria's economy continues to deteriorate amid the ongoing conflict that began in 2011. The economy further contracted in 2014 because of international sanctions, widespread infrastructure damage, diminished domestic consumption and production, reduced subsidies, and high inflation. The government has struggled to address the effects of economic decline, which include dwindling foreign exchange reserves, rising budget and trade deficits, and the decreasing value of the Syrian pound and household purchasing power. During 2014, the ongoing conflict and continued unrest and economic decline worsened the humanitarian crisis and elicited a greater need for international assistance, as the number of people in need inside Syria increased from 9.3 million to 12.2 million, and the number of Syrian refugees increased from 2.2 million to more than 3.3 million. Prior to the turmoil, Damascus began liberalizing economic policies, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange, but the economy remains highly regulated. Long-run economic constraints include foreign trade barriers, declining oil production, high unemployment, rising budget deficits, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, water pollution, and widespread infrastructure damage.

Exchange rates

Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - | 152.9 (2014 est.) | 108.426 (2013 est.) | 64.39 (2012 est.) | 48.371 (2011 est.) | 11.225 (2010 est.)

Exports

$2.031 billion (2014 est.) | $1.939 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Exports - commodities

crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat

Exports - partners

Iraq 59.9%, Saudi Arabia 10%, Kuwait 6.5%, UAE 5.6%, Libya 4.3% (2013)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$64.7 billion (2011 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$107.6 billion (2011 est.) | $110.1 billion (2010 est.) | $97.03 billion (2009 est.) | note: data are in 2011 US dollars | the war driven deterioration of the economy resulted in a disappearance of quality national level statistics in 2012-13 | country comparison to the world: 81

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 67.8% | government consumption: 19.4% | investment in fixed capital: 18.2% | investment in inventories: 9.5% | exports of goods and services: 7.5% | imports of goods and services: -22.4% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 16.4% | industry: 22.7% | services: 60.9% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$5,100 (2011 est.) | $5,100 (2010 est.) | $5,200 (2010 est.) | note: data are in 2011 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 165

GDP - real growth rate

NA% (2012 est.) | -2.3% (2011 est.) | 3.4% (2010 est.)

Gross national saving

13.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | 10.2% of GDP (2013 est.) | 12.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$7.657 billion (2014 est.) | $7.552 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners

Saudi Arabia 24.6%, UAE 12.1%, Iran 8.9%, Iraq 7.3%, Turkey 6%, China 4.6%, Ukraine 4.1% (2013)

Industrial production growth rate

1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Industries

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, automobile assembly

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

34.8% (2014 est.) | 89.6% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 222

Labor force

4.022 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 17% | industry: 16% | services: 67% (2008 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

11.9% (2006 est.)

Public debt

57.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | 54.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.725 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.895 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Stock of broad money

$11.05 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $12.71 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 104

Stock of domestic credit

$6.966 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $7.738 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Stock of narrow money

$7.001 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $8.056 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Taxes and other revenues

2.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 214

Unemployment rate

33% (2014 est.) | 35% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

50.92 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Crude oil - exports

152,400 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Crude oil - production

74,820 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 52

Crude oil - proved reserves

2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Electricity - consumption

35.37 billion kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Electricity - exports

1.192 billion kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - from fossil fuels

89.2% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

10.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Electricity - installed generating capacity

8.323 million kW (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Electricity - production

38.78 billion kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Natural gas - consumption

6.442 billion cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Natural gas - imports

250 million cu m (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Natural gas - production

6.442 billion cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Natural gas - proved reserves

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45

Refined petroleum products - consumption

257,400 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Refined petroleum products - exports

36,210 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Refined petroleum products - imports

104,800 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Refined petroleum products - production

253,600 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Area

total: 185,180 sq km | land: 183,630 sq km | water: 1,550 sq km | note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory | country comparison to the world: 89

Area - comparative

slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania

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

Coastline

193 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m | highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 16.76 cu km/yr (9%/4%/88%) | per capita: 867.4 cu m/yr (2005)

Geographic coordinates

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Geography - note

the capital of Damascus - located at an oasis fed by the Barada River - is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2014 est.)

Irrigated land

13,410 sq km (2010)

Land boundaries

total: 2,363 km | border countries (5): Iraq 599 km, Israel 83 km, Jordan 379 km, Lebanon 403 km, Turkey 899 km

Land use

agricultural land: 75.8% | arable land 25.4%; permanent crops 5.8%; permanent pasture 44.6% | forest: 2.7% | other: 21.5% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 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

Natural resources

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Terrain

primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west

Total renewable water resources

16.8 cu km (2011)

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, Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus

Capital

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 first Friday in November

Constitution

several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum 26 February 2012 (2015)

Country name

conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic | conventional short form: Syria | local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah | local short form: Suriyah | former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Special Envoy to Syria Daniel RUBINSTEIN (since March 2014); note - on 6 February 2012, the US closed its embassy in Damascus | embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus | mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus | telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444 | FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999

Diplomatic representation in the US

note: Embassy ceased operation on 18 March 2014 | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mounir KOUDMANI | chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 | FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

Executive branch

chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 21 February 2006); Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) | head of government: Prime Minister Wael al-HALQI (since 9 August 2012); Deputy Prime Ministers Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ, Lt. Gen. Walid al-MUALEM | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 June 2014 (next to be held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers | election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as 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%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980 | note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

Government type

republic under an authoritarian regime

Independence

17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, 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, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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 4 members) | judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council or 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 appointed for 4-year renewable terms | subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

description: unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 7 May 2012 (next to be held in 2016) | election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

National anthem

name: "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland) | lyrics/music: Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL | note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the country had a different anthem

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

National symbol(s)

hawk; national colors: red, white, black, green

Political parties and leaders

legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD] | Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr al-DIN] | Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan al-QUDSI] | Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL] | Syrian Social Nationalist Party [As'ad HARDAN] | Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]) | Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Azadi Party | Kurdish Democratic Accord Party (al Wifaq) | Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Ibrahim wing) | Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Mustafa wing) | Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria or KDP-S | Kurdish Democratic Patriotic/National Party | Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Darwish | Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Muhammad | Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD [Salih Muslim MOHAMMAD] | Kurdish Democratic Unity Party | Kurdish Democratic Yekiti Party | Kurdish Future Party or KFP | Kurdish Future Party [Rezan HASSAN] | Kurdish Left Party | Kurdish Yekiti (Union) Party | Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party | other: Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Free Syrian Army | Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Muhammad Riyad al-SHAQFAH] (operates in exile in London) | Syrian Opposition Coalition or National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces [al-Asi- al-JARBAL] | note: there are also hundreds of local groups that organize protests and stage armed attacks

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 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 May 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was approved by popular referendum. | Influenced by major uprisings that began elsewhere in the region, antigovernment protests broke out in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 with protesters calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials. Since then, demonstrations and violent unrest spread to nearly every city in Syria with the size and intensity of protests fluctuating. The government responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the Emergency Law, new laws permitting new political parties, and liberalizing local and national elections - and military force. However, the government's response has failed to meet opposition demands for ASAD's resignation, and the government's ongoing violence to quell unrest and widespread armed opposition activity has led to extended clashes between government forces and oppositionists. International pressure on the ASAD regime has intensified since late 2011, as the Arab League, EU, Turkey, and the US expanded economic sanctions against the regime. In December 2012, the Syrian National Coalition, was recognized by more than 130 countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Peace talks between the Coalition and Syrian regime at the UN-sponsored Geneva II conference in 2014 failed to produce a resolution of the conflict. Unrest continues in Syria, and according to a January 2015 UN estimate, the death toll among Syrian Government forces, opposition forces, and civilians had reached 220,000. So far, the conflict has displaced 11.6 million people, including 7.6 million people internally, making the situation in Syria the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 5,889,837 | females age 16-49: 5,660,751 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 5,055,510 | females age 16-49: 4,884,151 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 256,698 | female: 244,712 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Syrian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (includes Air Defense Forces) (2013)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve; re-enlistment obligation 5 years, with retirement after 15 years or age 40 (enlisted) or 20 years or age 45 (NCOs) (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 32.49% (male 2,841,760/female 2,701,998) | 15-24 years: 19.85% (male 1,713,286/female 1,673,560) | 25-54 years: 38.57% (male 3,283,267/female 3,298,387) | 55-64 years: 5.07% (male 427,655/female 438,105) | 65 years and over: 4.02% (male 309,947/female 376,889) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

22.17 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 192,915 | percentage: 4% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

10.1% (2009) | country comparison to the world: 70

Contraceptive prevalence rate

53.9% (2009/10)

Death rate

4 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 70% | youth dependency ratio: 63.1% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.9% | potential support ratio: 14.5% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 92.3% of population | rural: 87.2% of population | total: 90.1% of population | urban: 7.7% of population | rural: 12.8% of population | total: 9.9% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.9% of GDP (2007) | country comparison to the world: 70

Ethnic groups

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

3.3% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 176

Hospital bed density

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 15.61 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 17.95 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 13.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 103

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian (widely understood); French, English (somewhat understood)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.69 years | male: 72.31 years | female: 77.21 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 86.4% | male: 91.7% | female: 81% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

Aleppo 3.562 million; DAMASCUS (capital) 2.566 million; Hims 1.641 million; Hamah 1.237 million; Lattakia 781,000 (2015)

Median age

total: 23.3 years | male: 22.9 years | female: 23.7 years (2014 est.)

Nationality

noun: Syrian(s) | adjective: Syrian

Net migration rate

-19.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 222

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

21.6% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 41

Physicians density

1.46 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

17,064,854 (July 2014 est.) | note: approximately 18,900 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2012) (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Population growth rate

-0.16% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 233

Religions

Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian) 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 96.2% of population | rural: 95.1% of population | total: 95.7% of population | urban: 3.8% of population | rural: 4.9% of population | total: 4.3% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 12 years | male: 12 years | female: 12 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female | total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 19.2% | male: 15.3% | female: 40.2% (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Urbanization

urban population: 57.7% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.37% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan

Illicit drugs

a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 526,744 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2014); undetermined (Iraq) (2015) | note: the ongoing civil war has created more than 4 million Syrian refugees - dispersed in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey - as of August 2015 | IDPs: 7,632,500 (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2015) | stateless persons: 160,000 (2014); note - Syria's stateless population is composed of Kurds and Palestinians; stateless persons are prevented from voting, owning land, holding certain jobs, receiving food subsidies or public healthcare, enrolling in public schools, or being legally married to Syrian citizens; in 1962, some 120,000 Syrian Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, rendering them and their descendants stateless; in 2011, the Syrian Government granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian Kurds as a means of appeasement; however, resolving the question of statelessness is not a priority given Syria's ongoing civil war

Trafficking in persons

current situation: due to Syria’s political uprising and violent unrest, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees have fled the country and are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the scope and magnitude of Syria’s human trafficking situation; Syria is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Syrian refugee women and girls are forced into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while refugee children are forced into street begging domestically and abroad; the Syrian armed forces and opposition forces are using Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields | tier rating: Tier 3 - the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; increasing violence undercut any law enforcement efforts in 2013; the government failed to protect and prevent children from recruitment by government forces and armed opposition groups; a new law passed in 2013 criminalizing the recruitment of children under 18 by armed forces was not enforced; authorities did not make efforts to investigate and punish trafficking offenders, including complicit government employees; no trafficking victims were identified or provided with protective services; the government did not attempt to inform the public about human trafficking or to provide anti-trafficking training to officials (2014)

Airports

90 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 62

Airports - with paved runways

total: 29 | over 3,047 m: 5 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 | 914 to 1,523 m: 3 | under 914 m: 5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 61 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 12 | 48 (2013)

Heliports

6 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 19 | by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 14, carrier 1 | registered in other countries: 166 (Barbados 1, Belize 4, Bolivia 4, Cambodia 22, Comoros 5, Dominica 4, Georgia 24, Lebanon 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Moldova 5, North Korea 4, Panama 34, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, Sierra Leone 13, Tanzania 23, Togo 6, unknown 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 95

Pipelines

gas 3,170 km; oil 2,029 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Baniyas, Latakia, Tartus

Railways

total: 2,052 km | standard gauge: 1,801 km 1.435-m gauge | narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 72

Roadways

total: 69,873 km | paved: 63,060 km | unpaved: 6,813 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 67

Waterways

900 km (navigable but not economically significant) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 68