!!!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.) \\