Map of Syria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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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: 187,437 km²
Land: 185,887 km²
Water: 1,550 km²
Note: includes 1,295 km² of Israeli-occupied territory
Comparative: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania
Country comparison total: 2,363 km
Country comparison border countries: (5) Iraq 599 km; Israel 83 km; Jordan 379 km; Lebanon 403 km; Turkey 899 km

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
Highest point: Mount Hermon (Jabal a-Shayk) 2,814 m
Lowest point: Yarmuk River -66 m
Mean elevation: 514 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 75.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 25.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 44.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 2.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 21.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 13,100 km² (2013)

Major rivers
By length in km: Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km
By length in km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²: Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 620 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 14.67 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 16.8 billion m³ (2020 est.)

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-controlled Golan Heights (2017)


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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 Halab, and the Euphrates River valley
Distribution note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution
Total: 23,865,423
Male: 11,981,578
Female: 11,883,845 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 1.67% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 82.5% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Syrian(s)
Adjective: Syrian

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

Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English
Major-language samples: دليل جيوس العالمي، المصدر الذي لا غنى عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic); ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%
Note: the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war

Demographic profile

Age structure
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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.4
Youth dependency ratio: 53
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.4
Potential support ratio: 13.5 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 23.6 years
Female: 24.7 years

Population growth rate: 1.67% (2024 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley
Note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.585 million DAMASCUS (capital), 2.203 million Aleppo, 1.443 million Hims (Homs), 996,000 Hamah (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; depletion of water resources; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
International agreements 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 25.14 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 28.83 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 12.93 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 30 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 16.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 73.4 years
Female: 76.4 years

Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.6% of population
Unimproved rural: 0.7% of population
Unimproved total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 0.4% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 99.5% of population
Improved rural: 99.5% of population
Improved total: 99.5% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved rural: 0.5% of population
Unimproved total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86.4%
Male: 91.7%
Female: 81% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 9 years (2013)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 33.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 29.8% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 52.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


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

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 (Aleppo), 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 (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946)
Note: celebrates the leaving of the last French troops and the proclamation of full independence

Constitution
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
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

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

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

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: 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
Head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024)
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 26 May 2021 (next to be held in 2,028); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister
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%

Legislative branch
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)
Elections: last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held in July 2,028)
Elections results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ba'ath Party 169, SSNP 3, other 13, independent 65; composition - NA

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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)

Political parties and leaders: legal parties/alliances:, Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Arab Socialist (Ba'ath) Party – Syrian Regional, Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syrian Regional Branch, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party, Arab Socialist Union of Syria or ASU, Democratic Arab Socialist Union, National Progressive Front or NPF, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party, Socialist Unionist Party, Syrian Communist Party (two branches), Syrian Social Nationalist Party or SSNP, Unionist Socialist Party, major political organizations:, Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD, Kurdish National Council or KNC, Syriac Union Party, Syrian Democratic Council or SDC, Syrian Democratic Party, Syrian Opposition Coalition, de facto governance entities:, Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria or DAANES, Syrian Interim Government or SIG, Syrian Salvation Government or SSG

International organization participation: 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, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WBG, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none
In the us note: operations at the embassy were suspended on 18 March 2014
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
From the us 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
From the us mailing address: 6,110 Damascus Place, Washington DC 20,521-6,110
From the us email address and website: USIS_damascus@embassy.mzv.cz; [link]

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' (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 heritage
Total world heritage sites: 6 (all cultural)
Selected world heritage site locales:


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Economy overview: 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $62.151 billion (2021 est.); $61.353 billion (2020 est.); $61.465 billion (2019 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 1.3% (2021 est.); -0.18% (2020 est.); 1.22% (2019 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $2,900 (2021 est.); $3,000 (2020 est.); $3,100 (2019 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 128.6% (2021 est.)
Government consumption: 10.9% (2021 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 8.7% (2021 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 24.8% (2021 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -73.1% (2021 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 27.8% (2021 est.)
Industry: 28.9% (2021 est.)
Services: 43.3% (2021 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: wheat, milk, olives, sheep milk, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, watermelons, apples, oranges (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

Industrial production growth rate: -14.03% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 6.315 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 13.54% (2023 est.); 13.81% (2022 est.); 14.8% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 33.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 29.8% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 52.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.162 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $3.211 billion (2017 est.)
Note: government projections for FY2016

Taxes and other revenues: 4.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 94.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 28.1% (2017 est.); 47.3% (2016 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$2.123 billion (2017 est.); -$2.077 billion (2016 est.)

Exports: $2.224 billion (2021 est.); $1.649 billion (2020 est.); $2.94 billion (2019 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Turkey 29%, Kuwait 15%, Lebanon 14%, Jordan 8%, Egypt 7% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: pure olive oil, nuts, phosphates, cotton, garments (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $6.553 billion (2021 est.); $3.751 billion (2020 est.); $6.552 billion (2019 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Turkey 45%, UAE 10%, China 9%, Lebanon 8%, Egypt 7% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: tobacco, plastics, wheat, seed oils, plastic products (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $407.3 million (31 December 2017 est.); $504.6 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $3.619 billion (2022 est.)
Note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 89% (2022 est.)
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 75%
Installed generating capacity: 10.124 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 12.909 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Exports: 346 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.618 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 95.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 47,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: (2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton
Imports: 30,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 100,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 138,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 3.085 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Consumption: 3.084 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 240.693 billion m³ (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 25.628 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 100,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 19.478 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 6.05 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 18.111 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2.821 million (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 16.991 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 6.5% of GDP (2019 est.); 6.7% of GDP (2018 est.); 6.8% of GDP (2017 est.); 6.9% of GDP (2016 est.); 7.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

Military and security forces: 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)

Military service age and obligation: 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: 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

Space program

Terrorist groups: 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: 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


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 17,896 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 30,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YK

Airports: 39 (2024)

Heliports: 12 (2024)

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

Railways

Roadways
Total: 69,873 km
Paved: 63,060 km
Unpaved: 6,813 km (2010)

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 580,000 (Palestinian Refugees) (2022); 11,121 (Iraq) (2023)
Idps: 6.865 million (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2022)
Stateless persons: 160,000 (2022)
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

Illicit drugs: 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