Statistical information Syria 2016

Syria in the World

Syria - Introduction 2016

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 albeit unsuccessful 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 Hafiz 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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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 and compounded by additional social and economic factors antigovernment protests broke out first 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. Demonstrations and violent unrest spread across 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 an April 2016 UN estimate the death toll among Syrian Government forces opposition forces and civilians had reached 400,000 As of January 2016 approximately 13.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria with 6.5 million people displaced internally and an additional 4.8 million Syrian refugees making the Syrian situation the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide.

Syria - Geography 2016

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Location: Middle East bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Lebanon and Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 185,180 km²
Land: 183,630 km²
Water: 1550 km²
Note: includes 1295 km² of Israeli-occupied territory
Rank: 89
Comparative: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 2,363 km
Border countries: (5) Iraq 599 km; Israel 83 km; Jordan 379 km; Lebanon 403 km; Turkey 899 km

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

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

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 514 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m: highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Natural resources: petroleum phosphates chrome and manganese ores asphalt iron ore rock salt marble gypsum hydropower

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 75.8%

arable land: 25.4%
permanent crops: 5.8%
permanent pasture: 44.6%

Forest: 2.7%
Other: 21.5%

Irrigated land: 14,280 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

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.)

Syria - People 2016

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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 Aleppo and the Euphrates River valley: 17,185,170 (July 2016 est.)
Note: approximately 20,500 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights
Rank: 66
Growth rate: 1.56% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 75
Below poverty line: 82.5% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Syrian
Adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3% Kurds Armenians and other 9.7%

Languages: Arabic (official) Kurdish Armenian Aramaic Circassian French English

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 31.95%
15-24 years: 19.65%
25-54 years: 39.03%
55-64 years: 5.26%
65 years and over: 4.11% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 70%
Youth dependency ratio: 63.1%
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.9%
Potential support ratio: 14.5%

Median age
Total: 24.1 years
Male: 23.7 years
Female: 24.6 years
Rank: 160

Population growth rate: 1.56% (2016 est.)
Rank: 75

Birth rate: 21.7 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 75

Death rate: 4 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 209

Net migration rate: -2.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 169

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 Aleppo and the Euphrates River valley

Urbanization
Urban population: 57.7% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.37% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Aleppo 3.562 million; DAMASCUS (capital) 2.566 million; Hims (Homs) 1.641 million; Hamah 1.237 million; Lattakia 781,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.2 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 17.5 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 12.8 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 101

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.9 years
Male: 72.5 years
Female: 77.4 years
Rank: 114

Total fertility rate: 2.55 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 76

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 53.9% (2009/10)

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.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.46 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 1.5 beds/1000 population (2012)

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.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 132
People living with hivaids: 900 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 121
Deaths: less than 100 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 110

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.6% (2014)
Rank: 41

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 10.1% (2009)
Rank: 70

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 70

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86.4%
Male: 91.7%
Female: 81%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 9 years

Youth unemployment

Syria - Government 2016

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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
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

Government type: presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime

Capital
Name: Damascus
Geographic coordinates: 33 30 N 36 18 E
Time difference: UTC+2
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins midnight on the last Friday in March; ends at midnight on the first Friday in November

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

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 17 April (1946)

Constitution: several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012 passed by referendum 26 February 2012 (2016)

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD ; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS ; Walid al-MUALEM (since 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ Lt. Gen. (since 2012)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year 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 88.7% Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3% Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2% other/invalid 3.8%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab
Elections: last held on 13 April 2016
Election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80% other 20%; seats by party - NPF 200 other 50

Judicial branch
Highest court: Court of Cassation ; Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 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

Political parties and leaders
Legal partiesalliances: Arab Socialist Union of Syria or ASU [Safwan al-QUDSI]:

Kurdish Democratic Unity Party
Kurdish Democratic Yekiti Party
Kurdish Future Party [Rezan HASSAN]
Kurdish Left Party
Kurdish Yekiti (Union) Party
Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party

Kurdish parties: Kurdish Azadi Party
Other: Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

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)

Diplomatic representation
In the us note: Embassy ceased operation and closed on 18 March 2014
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Mounir KOUDMANI (since 1 June 2012)
In the us chancery: 2,215 Wyoming Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 232-6,313
In the us FAX: [1] 234-9,548
From the us chief of mission: ambassador ; Special Envoy for Syria Michael RATNEY (since 27 July 2015); note - on 6 February 2012 the US closed its embassy in Damascus
From the us embassy: Abou Roumaneh Al-Mansour Street No. 2 Damascus
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 29 Damascus
From the us telephone: [963] 3,391-4,444
From the us FAX: [963] 3,391-3,999

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

National symbols: hawk; national colors: red white black green

National anthem
Name: 'Humat ad-Diyar'
Lyrics and 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 heritage

Syria - Economy 2016

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Economy overview:

Syria's economy continues to deteriorate amid the ongoing conflict that began in 2011 declining by 62% from 2010 to 2014. The government has struggled to address the effects of international sanctions widespread infrastructure damage diminished domestic consumption and production reduced subsidies and high inflation which have caused dwindling foreign exchange reserves rising budget and trade deficits a decreasing value of the Syrian pound and falling 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 had begun 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: the war-driven deterioration of the economy resulted in a disappearance of quality national level statistics in the 2012-13 period
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 107

Real gdp growth rate:

-9.9% (2015 est.)
-36.5% (2014 est.)
-30.9% (2013 est.)

Rank: 220

Real gdp per capita:

$5,100 (2011 est.)
$5,100 (2010 est.)
$5,200 (2010 est.)

Note: data are in 2011 US dollars
Rank: 166

Gross national saving:

20% of GDP (2015 est.)
18.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
14.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

Rank: 88

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 63.4%
Government consumption: 22.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 19.2%
Investment in inventories: 10.9%
Exports of goods and services: 9.1%
Imports of goods and services: -25.1%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 19.5%
Industry: 18.9%
Services: 61.6%

Agriculture products: wheat barley cotton lentils chickpeas olives sugar beets; beef mutton eggs poultry milk

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

Industrial production growth rate: -4.8% (2015 est.)
Rank: 186

Labor force: 3.577 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 98
By occupation agriculture: 17%
By occupation industry: 16%
By occupation services: 67%

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

50% (2015 est.)
57.7% (2014 est.)

Rank: 202

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 82.5% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.9 billion
Expenditures: $5.7 billion
Note: government projections for FY2016
Surplus or deficit: -7.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 193

Taxes and other revenues: 15.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 190

Public debt:

52% of GDP (2015 est.)
48.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 76

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

38.1% (2015 est.)
29.2% (2014 est.)

Rank: 222

Central bank discount rate:

0.75% (31 December 2015)
5% (31 December 2014)

Rank: 125

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

27% (31 December 2015 est.)
18.5% (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 6

Stock of narrow money:

$5.254 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$6.718 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 97

Stock of broad money:

$11.05 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$12.71 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 106

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.285 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$8.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 122

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:

-$3.148 billion (2015 est.)
-$3.667 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 160

Exports:

$2.14 billion (2015 est.)
$3.015 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 137
Commodities: crude oil minerals petroleum products fruits and vegetables cotton fiber textiles clothing meat and live animals wheat
Partners: Iraq 64.7% Saudi Arabia 11.2% Kuwait 7.1% UAE 6.1% Libya 4.6% (2015)

Imports:

$6.663 billion (2015 est.)
$8.028 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 114
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment electric power machinery food and livestock metal and metal products chemicals and chemical products plastics yarn paper
Partners: Saudi Arabia 28% UAE 13.7% Iran 10.1% Turkey 9% Iraq 8.3% China 6.1% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$772.9 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.428 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 136

Debt external:

$5.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$4.597 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 127

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:

Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar -
236.41 (2015 est.)
153.695 (2014 est.)
153.695 (2013 est.)
64.39 (2012 est.)
48.371 (2011 est.)

Syria - Energy 2016

Syria - Communication 2016

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4.082 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24
Fixed lines rank: 41
Mobile cellular total: 13.904 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 81
Mobile cellular rank: 66

Telephone system
General assessment: 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 increased markedly prior to the civil war in 2011; mobile-cellular service stands at about 80 per 100 persons
International: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Egypt Lebanon and Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq Jordan Lebanon and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel (2015)

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
Users total: 5.116 million
Users percent of population: 30%
Users rank: 71

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Syria - Military 2016

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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

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)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Syria - Transportation 2016

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 475,932
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,517,388 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YK (2016)

Airports: 90 (2013)
Rank: 62
With paved runways total: 29
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 16
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 5
With unpaved runways total: 61
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 48

Heliports: 6 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 2,052 km
Standard gauge: 1801 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge
Rank: 72

Roadways
Total: 69,873 km
Paved: 63,060 km
Unpaved: 6,813 km
Rank: 67

Waterways: 900 km (navigable but not economically significant) (2011)
Rank: 68

Merchant marine
Total: 19
By type: bulk carrier 4 cargo 14 carrier 1
Registered in other countries: 166 (2010)
Rank: 95

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Baniyas Latakia Tartus

Syria - Transnational issues 2016

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Disputes international: Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1000-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 would settle border dispute with Jordan

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 528,616 (Palestinian Refugees); undetermined (Iraq) (2015)
Note: the ongoing civil war has created about 4.8 million Syrian refugees - dispersed in Egypt Iraq Jordan Lebanon and Turkey - as of November 2016
IDPs: 6,563,462 (2015)
Stateless persons: 160,000 ; 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

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