Syria

Asia · Western Asia · capital Damascus

About Syria

The capital of Syria is Damascus. Damascus is the seat of national government for Syria, a country in Western Asia.

Syria has a population of about 23.6 million people, the 58th largest population in the world. Population figures come from World Bank estimates.

Syria covers 185,180 square kilometers (71,498 square miles), making Syria the 89th largest country in the world by area.

Syria borders 5 countries: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Life expectancy at birth in Syria is 72.1 years, the 134th highest of any country in the world.

Syria is in Asia, in the Western Asia region. Syria is one of 50 countries and territories in Asia.

Data updated April 1, 2026

Statistics and world rankings for Syria
Populationtotal people	23.6Mpeople	58th
Land Areatotal km²	185.2Kkm²	89th
GDP per PersonUSD per person	$1.1K	190th
Total GDPUSD · whole economy	$23.6B	117th
Life Expectancyyears, at birth	72.1years	134th
Urban Population% living in cities	72.2%	81st
Internet Users% of people online	34.6%	165th
Fertility Ratechildren per woman	2.71births/woman	67th
Tourist Arrivalsvisitors per year	2.4Marrivals/year	65th
Forest Cover% of land forested	2.8%	184th
Unemployment Rate% of labor force	13.3%	20th
Military Spending% of GDP	no data
Renewable Energy% of energy use	1.1%	187th
Inflation Rateannual CPI change	13.4%	25th
Beer Consumptionliters per year	no data
Coffee Consumptionkg per year	no data
Wine Consumptionliters per year	no data
Education Spending% of GDP	no data
Health Spending% of GDP	2.7%of GDP	184th
Arable Land% of land arable	24.0%	42nd
Foreign Direct InvestmentUSD inflow/year	no data

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 SY · alpha-3 SYR · Western Asia