Syria

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 Syrian troops that were stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role were withdrawn in 2005.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.

land

185,887 sq km

note

note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

total

187,437 sq km

water

1,550 sq km

slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania

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

193 km

highest point

Mount Hermon (Jabal a-Shayk) 2,814 m

lowest point

Yarmuk River -66 m

mean elevation

514 m

35 00 N, 38 00 E

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-controlled Golan Heights (2017)

13,100 sq km (2013)

border countries

Iraq 599 km; Israel 83 km; Jordan 379 km; Lebanon 403 km; Turkey 899 km

total

2,363 km

agricultural land

75.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 25.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 44.6% (2018 est.)

forest

2.7% (2018 est.)

other

21.5% (2018 est.)

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

Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

Middle East

contiguous zone

24 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

dust storms, sandstormsvolcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries

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

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

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

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

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)

beer

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

21.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

NA

52.6% (2023 est.)

4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

7.4

potential support ratio

13.5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

55.4

youth dependency ratio

53

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 99.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.6% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.4% of population

NA

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

1.31 (2024 est.)

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

female

13.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male

16.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

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.

female

76.4 years

male

73.4 years

total population

74.8 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

81% (2015)

male

91.7%

total population

86.4%

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

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

female

24.7 years

male

23.6 years

total

24.1 years (2024 est.)

adjective

Syrian

noun

Syrian(s)

-1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

27.8% (2016)

1.29 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

female

11,883,845 (2024 est.)

male

11,981,578

total

23,865,423

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

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

1.67% (2024 est.)

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

note

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

improved: rural

rural: 99.5% of population

improved: total

total: 99.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.5% of population

female

9 years (2013)

male

9 years

total

9 years

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

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

2.69 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

57.4% of total population (2023)

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

etymology

Damascus is a very old city; its earliest name, Temeseq, first appears in an Egyptian geographical list of the 15th century B.C., but the meaning is uncertain

geographic coordinates

33 30 N, 36 18 E

name

Damascus

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

amendments

proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the People’s Assembly members; following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president

history

several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012; note – UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution; in June 2022, the 8th round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva with no results, and the 9th round, scheduled for July 2022, was cancelled due to lack of Russian and regime participation

conventional long form

Syrian Arab Republic

conventional short form

Syria

etymology

name ultimately derived from the ancient Assyrians who dominated northern Mesopotamia, but whose reach also extended westward to the Levant; over time, the name came to be associated more with the western area

former

United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah

local short form

Suriyah

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.czhttps://sy.usembassy.gov/

mailing address

6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC  20521-6110

noneNote:  operations at the embassy were suspended on 18 March 2014

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

vacant; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024; ASAD and his family flew to Moscow where they were granted political asylum

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%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 May 2021 (next to be held in 2028); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister

head of government

Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024)

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

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

presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime

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

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

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)

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)

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

subordinate courts

courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012)

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

description

unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority preferential vote to serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ba'ath Party 169, SSNP 3, other 13, independent 65; composition - NA

elections

last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held in July 2028)

lyrics/music

Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL

name

"Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland)

note

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

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

total World Heritage Sites

6 (all cultural)

Independence Day (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946); note - celebrates the leaving of the last French troops and the proclamation of full independence

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

legal parties/alliances: Arab Socialist Ba'ath PartyArab Socialist (Ba'ath) Party – Syrian RegionalArab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syrian Regional Branch, Socialist Unionist Democratic PartyArab Socialist Union of Syria or ASUDemocratic Arab Socialist UnionNational Progressive Front or NPFSocialist Unionist Democratic PartySocialist Unionist PartySyrian Communist Party (two branches)Syrian Social Nationalist Party or SSNPUnionist Socialist Partymajor political organizations:Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYDKurdish National Council or KNCSyriac Union PartySyrian Democratic Council or SDCSyrian Democratic PartySyrian Opposition Coalition de facto governance entities:Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria or DAANES Syrian Interim Government or SIGSyrian Salvation Government or SSG

18 years of age; universal

wheat, milk, olives, sheep milk, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, watermelons, apples, oranges (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$3.211 billion (2017 est.)

note

note: government projections for FY2016

revenues

$1.162 billion (2017 est.)

Current account balance 2016

-$2.077 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$2.123 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external 2022

$3.619 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

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

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.)

Exports 2019

$2.94 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$1.649 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$2.224 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

pure olive oil, nuts, phosphates, cotton, garments (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Turkey 29%, Kuwait 15%, Lebanon 14%, Jordan 8%, Egypt 7% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

24.8% (2021 est.)

government consumption

10.9% (2021 est.)

household consumption

128.6% (2021 est.)

imports of goods and services

-73.1% (2021 est.)

investment in fixed capital

8.7% (2021 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

27.8% (2021 est.)

industry

28.9% (2021 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

43.3% (2021 est.)

$8.98 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022

26.6 (2022 est.)

highest 10%

21.1% (2022 est.)

lowest 10%

3.8% (2022 est.)

Imports 2019

$6.552 billion (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$3.751 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$6.553 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

tobacco, plastics, wheat, seed oils, plastic products (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Turkey 45%, UAE 10%, China 9%, Lebanon 8%, Egypt 7% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

-14.03% (2021 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

47.3% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

28.1% (2017 est.)

6.315 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

82.5% (2014 est.)

Public debt 2017

94.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$61.465 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$61.353 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$62.151 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2019

1.22% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-0.18% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

1.3% (2021 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$3,100 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$3,000 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$2,900 (2021 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2019

0% of GDP (2019 est.)

Remittances 2020

0% of GDP (2020 est.)

Remittances 2021

0% of GDP (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$504.6 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$407.3 million (31 December 2017 est.)

4.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

14.8% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

13.81% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

13.54% (2023 est.)

female

52.6% (2023 est.)

male

29.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

33.5% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

100,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

6.05 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

19.478 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

25.628 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

47,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

exports

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

imports

30,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

12.909 billion kWh (2022 est.)

exports

346 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

10.124 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

3.618 billion kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

75%

electrification - total population

89% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

100%

biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

95.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

4.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

18.111 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

3.084 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

3.085 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

240.693 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

138,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

100,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (2020 est.)

total

1,549,356 (2020 est.)

state-run TV and radio broadcast networks; state operates 2 TV networks and 5 satellite channels; 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 (2018)

.sy

percent of population

46.6% (2022 est.)

total

8,492,468 (2022 est.)

domestic

the number of fixed-line connections is 13 per 100; mobile-cellular service is 80 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

the years of civil war and destruction to infrastructure continue to have a toll on the telecoms sector in Syria; although over the years the major mobile service providers have endeavored to restore and rebuild damaged networks, the operating environment has been difficult; following disputed demands for back taxes, MTN Group in August 2021 exited the country, after its majority stake had been transferred to judicial guardianship; this effectively meant that the mobile market became a monopoly; in February 2022 the regulator awarded a third mobile license following a process which had been ongoing for many years; telecommunication services in Syria are highly regulated; although urban areas can make use of the network built and maintained by the government-owned incumbent, many under served remote areas in the countryside are obliged to rely on satellite communications; the domestic and international fixed-line markets in Syria remain the monopoly of the STE, despite several initiatives over the years aimed at liberalizing the market; mobile broadband penetration in Syria is still quite low, despite quite a high population coverage of 3G networks and some deployment of LTE infrastructure; this may provide potential opportunities for growth once infrastructure and economic reconstruction efforts make headway, and civil issues subside (2022)

international

country code - 963; landing points for the Aletar, BERYTAR and UGART submarine cable connections 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 (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

13 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

2.821 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

80 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

16.991 million (2021 est.)

39 (2024)

YK

12 (2024)

by type

bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 13

total

24 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

30,000 (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

17,896 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

11

number of registered air carriers

3 (2020)

3,170 km gas, 2029 km oil (2013)

key ports

Al Ladhiqiyah, Baniyas, Tartus

large

1

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

3

small

1

total ports

3 (2024)

narrow gauge

251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge

standard gauge

1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

total

2,052 km (2014)

paved

63,060 km

total

69,873 km

unpaved

6,813 km (2010)

900 km (2011) (navigable but not economically significant)

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 1,000 personnel (2024)

prior to the fall of the Syrian ASAD regime in December 2024, the Syrian Armed Forces (SAF) consisted of the Syrian Arab Army (included the Republican Guard), Syrian Naval Forces, Syrian Air Forces, Syrian Air Defense Forces, National Defense Forces (NDF), and Local Defense Forces (LDF); the NDF and LDF were pro-government militia and auxiliary forces, some of which were backed by Iran (2024)

not available; prior to the start of the civil war in 2011, the SAF had approximately 300,000 total troops (2024)

prior to the fall of the ASAD regime in December 2024, the SAF was inventory was comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era weapons and equipment (2024)

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.)

prior to the fall of the ASAD regime in December 2024, men 18-42 were obligated to perform military service; compulsory service obligation was up to 30 months; women were not conscripted but could volunteer to serve, including in combat arms (2024)

note

note: the military was comprised largely of conscripts; men in their late 40s and 50s reportedly had been drafted into military service during the civil war

increasing drug trafficking particularly the synthetic stimulant captagon, a mixture of various amphetamines, methamphetamine, and/or other stimulants;  drug smuggling of captagon and other stimulants linked to the Syrian government and Hizballah

IDPs

6.865 million (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2022)

note

note: the ongoing civil war has resulted in more than 5 million registered Syrian refugees - dispersed mainly in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey - as of March 2024

refugees (country of origin)

580,000 (Palestinian Refugees) (2022); 11,121 (Iraq) (2023)

stateless persons

160,000 (2022); note - Syria's stateless population consists 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

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/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/

Syrian Space Agency (created in 2014); General Organization of Remote Sensing (GORS; established 1986 to replace the National Remote Sensing Center, established 1981) (2024)

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)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

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); Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem; al-Nusrah Front (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham); al-Qa'ida; Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); PFLP-General Command

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

28.83 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

12.93 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

25.14 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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

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

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

exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

due to civil conflict and economic crisis - based on the World Food Program’s (WFP’s) food security and agriculture sector estimated that about 15 million people are in need of some form of food and agriculture assistance (representing 68 percent of the total population), of whom about 12.1 million are food insecure and about 2.9 million people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity; fuel scarcity and increases in fuel prices led to a rise in transportation and freight charges for goods, both imported and domestically produced, including agricultural and food products; additional price increases at retail level further constrained the already weakened purchasing power of the majority of the population threatening their food security (2023)

agricultural land

75.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 25.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 44.6% (2018 est.)

forest

2.7% (2018 est.)

other

21.5% (2018 est.)

Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

16.8 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

14.67 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

620 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

1.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

57.4% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

4.5 million tons (2009 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

112,500 tons (2010 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

2.5% (2010 est.)