Syria: People & Society#
| Population | 17,185,170 (July 2016 est.) note: approximately 20,500 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2014) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian |
| Ethnic groups | Arab 90.3%, Kurdish, Armenian, 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) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 31.95% (male 2,815,140/female 2,675,166) 15-24 years: 19.65% (male 1,711,847/female 1,664,814) 25-54 years: 39.03% (male 3,342,264/female 3,364,406) 55-64 years: 5.26% (male 447,205/female 457,525) 65 years and over: 4.11% (male 318,691/female 388,112) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 70% youth dependency ratio: 63.1% elderly dependency ratio: 6.9% potential support ratio: 14.5% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 24.1 years male: 23.7 years female: 24.6 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.56% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 21.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 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 Aleppo, and the Euphrates River valley |
| Urbanization | urban population: 57.7% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 1.37% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| 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) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.99 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 (2016 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 68 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.9 years male: 72.5 years female: 77.4 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.55 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 53.9% (2009/10) |
| Health expenditures | 3.3% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 1.46 physicians/1,000 population (2010) |
| Hospital bed density | 1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 92.3% of population rural: 87.2% of population total: 90.1% of population unimproved: urban: 7.7% of population rural: 12.8% of population total: 9.9% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 96.2% of population rural: 95.1% of population total: 95.7% of population unimproved: 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.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 900 (2014 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | less than 100 (2014 est.) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 21.6% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 10.1% (2009) |
| Education expenditures | 5.1% of GDP (2009) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 91.7% female: 81% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 9 years male: 9 years female: 9 years (2013) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 192,915 percentage: 4% (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 35.8% male: 26.6% female: 71.1% (2011 est.) |