Syria

<p>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 Syrian troops that were stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role were withdrawn in 2005.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.</p> <p>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. <br><br>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).<br><br>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.</p>

Land

185,887 sq km

Note

<strong>note:</strong> 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

Asia

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 is located at an oasis fed by the Barada River and is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are Israeli settlements and civilian land-use sites in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (2017)

9,820 sq km (2022)

Border countries

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

number of neighbors

5

Total

2,363 km

Agricultural land

74.1% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 24% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 5.7% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 44.5% (2023 est.)

arable land

23.96%

Forest

2.9% (2023 est.)

Other

23% (2023 est.)

permanent crops

5.68%

No

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 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Indian Ocean drainage

<em>(Persian Gulf)</em> Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/Xe3VnFbwdb4nv2SM9

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/184840

Middle East

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Territorial sea

12 nm

dust storms, sandstorms <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> 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

<strong>note:</strong> the recent civil war has altered the population distribution

Western Asia

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

UTC+02:00

number of time zones

1

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.)

21.26 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

3.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

adult female

108 per 1,000

adult male

168 per 1,000

Elderly dependency ratio

6.9 (2025 est.)

Potential support ratio

14.5 (2025 est.)

Total dependency ratio

58.1 (2025 est.)

Youth dependency ratio

51.2 (2025 est.)

Improved: rural

rural: 92.1% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 94.1% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: urban

urban: 95.6% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 7.9% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 5.9% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: urban

urban: 4.4% of population (2022 est.)

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

1.28 (2025 est.)

7.8% of national budget (2022 est.)

0.01%

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Female

13.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

16.6 deaths/1,000 live births

neonatal

10 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English

Major-language sample(s)

<br>كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)<br><br>ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

number of languages

1

Female

76.4 years

Male

73.4 years

Total population

74.8 years (2024 est.)

Female

91.8% (2021 est.)

Male

97.2% (2021 est.)

Total population

94.4% (2021 est.)

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

20 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Female

24.7 years

Male

23.6 years

Total

24.5 years (2025 est.)

39 births/1,000 women 15-19

Adjective

Syrian

Noun

Syrian(s)

-1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

27.8% (2016)

1.52 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

Female

12,078,754

Male

12,183,128

Total

24,261,882 (2025 est.)

1.63% (2025 est.)

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

note

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

Improved: rural

rural: 99.3% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: urban

urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: urban

urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)

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.)

2.64 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Rate of urbanization

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

Urban population

57.4% of total population (2023)

measles

81%

14 provinces (<em>muhafazat</em>, singular - <em>muhafazah</em>); 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

the city has an ancient, pre-Semitic name of unknown origin

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

svg

https://mainfacts.com/media/images/coats_of_arms/sy.svg

History

Syria's 2012 constitution was rescinded by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led government in January 2025; in March 2025, interim authorities announced a transitional constitution to remain in effect for up to five years

alternative spellings

SY, Syrian Arab Republic, Al-Jumhūrīyah Al-ʻArabīyah As-Sūrīyah

Conventional long form

Syrian Arab Republic

Conventional short form

Syria

Etymology

the source of the name is uncertain; the name appears as "Suri" in Babylonian cuneiform writings dating from about 4000 B.C.

FIFA code

SYR

Former

United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

Local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah

local long form (ara)

الجمهورية العربية السورية

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

<br>USIS_damascus@embassy.mzv.cz<br><br>https://sy.usembassy.gov/

Mailing address

6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC&nbsp; 20521-6110

none<strong><br><br>note</strong>: operations at the embassy were suspended on 18 March 2014

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

Chief of state

Ahmad al-Shara'; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024

Election results

<em><br>2021: </em>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%<br><br><em>2014: </em>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%

Election/appointment process

president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister

Expected date of next election

2028

Head of government

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

Most recent election date

26 May 2021

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black; three five-pointed red stars in a horizontal line, centered on the white band<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the design is the same as a previous Syrian national flag (in use 1932-58 and 1961-63), but it is still unclear if the elements will retain the same meanings; the bands formerly represented Syria’s past rulers: white (Umayyad Caliphate), black (Abbasid Caliphate), and green (Rashidun Caliphate); the first star represented Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor, the three administrative subdivisions in Syria in the 1930s; the second star stood for Jabal Druze (the Mountain of the Druze), and the third star for the Alawite Mountains <br><br><strong>history:</strong> in 2011, opponents to the Asad regime adopted the flag; in 2025, it became the new national flag, replacing the two-star design

The flag of Syria is composed of three equal horizontal bands of red, white and black. At the center of the white band are two small five-pointed green stars arranged in a horizontal line.

svg

https://flagcdn.com/sy.svg

transitional presidential republic

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

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

Electoral system

plurality/majority

Expected date of next election

March 2030

Legislative structure

unicameral

Legislature name

People's Assembly (Majlis Al-Chaab)

Most recent election date

10/5/2025

Number of seats

210 (140 indirectly elected; 70 appointed)

Percentage of women in chamber

9.6%

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

4 years

red, white, black, green

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

<strong>note:</strong> celebrates the last French troops departing and the proclamation of full independence

northern bald ibis

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

Monday

18 years of age; universal

Yes

wheat, barley, milk, sheep milk, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, maize, oranges, grapes (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Expenditures

$3.211 billion (2017 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> government projections for FY2016

Revenues

$1.162 billion (2017 est.)

code

SYP

name

Syrian pound (SYP) [£]

$4.76 billion

Debt - external 2023

$4.573 billion (2023 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> 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.)

$1.61 billion

Exports 2020

$1.649 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$2.227 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$1.609 billion (2022 est.)

Note

<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

olive oil, phosphates, spice seeds, cotton, tomatoes (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Turkey 29%, Saudi Arabia 16%, Lebanon 10%, India 10%, UAE 5% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Exports of goods and services

6.8% (2022 est.)

Government consumption

2.7% (2022 est.)

Household consumption

114.8% (2022 est.)

Imports of goods and services

-28.8% (2022 est.)

Investment in fixed capital

4.5% (2022 est.)

Note

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

Agriculture

43.1% (2022 est.)

Industry

12% (2022 est.)

Note

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

Services

44.9% (2022 est.)

$19.993 billion (2023 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

$1,052

37.5 (2003)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022

26.6 (2022 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

$22.82 billion

$710

Highest 10%

21.1% (2022 est.)

Lowest 10%

3.8% (2022 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$6.8 billion

Imports 2020

$3.751 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$6.56 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$6.803 billion (2022 est.)

Note

<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

tobacco, plastics, wheat flours, plastic products, seed oils (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Turkey 49%, UAE 11%, China 8%, Egypt 7%, Lebanon 3% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

-13.4% (2022 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> 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) 2020

114.2% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

98.3% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

94.1% (2022 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> annual % change based on consumer prices

6.617 million (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

total

6.76 million persons

agriculture

16.3%

industry

25.2%

services

58.5%

Public debt 2016

91.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

$107.2 billion

Note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$99.338 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$100.066 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$98.858 billion (2023 est.)

0.73%

Note

<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

1.9% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

0.7% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

-1.2% (2023 est.)

$4,772

Note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$4,600 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$4,500 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$4,200 (2023 est.)

Note

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

Remittances 2021

0% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0% of GDP (2023 est.)

13.57%

Note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2022

13.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

13.2% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

13% (2024 est.)

Female

47.9% (2024 est.)

Male

27.8% (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Total

31.5% (2024 est.)

Consumption

15,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Imports

15,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Consumption

15.522 billion kWh (2023 est.)

consumption per capita

690 kWh

Exports

358.723 million kWh (2023 est.)

Installed generating capacity

9.636 million kW (2023 est.)

Transmission/distribution losses

4.214 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electrification - rural areas

75%

Electrification - total population

89% (2022 est.)

Electrification - urban areas

100%

Biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Fossil fuels

95.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectric

3.76%

Hydroelectricity

3.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

nuclear

0%

renewable

3.91%

Solar

0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

455 kg of oil equivalent

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

13.569 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Consumption

2.763 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

Production

2.763 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

Proven reserves

240.693 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Crude oil estimated reserves

2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum consumption

102,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Total petroleum production

65,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

1.1%

per 100 inhabitants

7 per 100

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

7 (2023 est.)

Total

1.62 million (2023 est.)

state-run TV has 2 networks and 5 satellite channels; roughly two-thirds of homes have a satellite dish with access to foreign TV; 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

35% (2019 est.)

+963

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

12 (2023 est.)

Total subscriptions

2.816 million (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100

72 per 100

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

71 (2024 est.)

Total subscriptions

17.6 million (2024 est.)

passengers carried

610,745 passengers

registered carrier departures

5,131 departures

42 (2025)

YK

Right

13 (2025)

By type

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

Total

24 (2023)

Key ports

Al Ladhiqiyah, Baniyas, Tartus

Large

1

Medium

1

Ports with oil terminals

3

Small

1

Total ports

3 (2024)

Very small

0

Narrow gauge

251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge

Standard gauge

1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Total

2,052 km (2014)

SYR

armored vehicles

tanks

as of September 2025, the government did not exercise control over all of Syria; areas of the northeast were under the control of ethnic Kurdish-led forces and areas south of the capital Damascus were controlled by members of the Druze religious minority; Turkish forces remained in parts of the north, while Israeli forces had moved into formerly demilitarized areas between Syria and Israel and into some Syrian territory near the frontier<br><br>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 1,300 personnel (2025)

the interim government authorities in Syria have established a Ministry of Defense and are attempting to unify the dozens of armed factions operating in Syria under a single, state-linked army; it has also established a Ministry of Interior to manage police and other security forces (2025)

active duty personnel

269,000

percent of total labor force

5.44 %

not available

the military forces of Syria are equipped with Russian and Soviet-era armaments (2025)

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.)

under Bashar al-ASAD, Syrian men aged 18-38 were required to serve 18-21 months in the military; conscription continued until ASAD's fall when the interim government announced that mandatory conscription to Syria&rsquo;s armed forces would be abolished and only be reinstated in extreme cases, such as national emergencies relating to war (2025)

PowerIndex score

1.8861

IDPs

7,408,809 (2024 est.)

Refugees

16,402 (2024 est.)

Stateless persons

160,000 (2024 est.)

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/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/

1987 - first and only Syrian astronaut into space as part of a Soviet-crewed mission to the Mir Space Station under the Intercosmos program<br><br>2016 - signed a scientific cooperation agreement in the field of space technology and remote sensing with Russia<br><br>2018 - announced that developing a satellite would be a primary goal of the space program

Syrian Space Agency (created in 2014); status is unclear since the fall of the ASAD Government (2025)

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)

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); al-Qa'ida; Palestine Liberation Front (PLF); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); PFLP-General Command (PLFP-GC)

note

<strong>note:</strong> 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

From coal and metallurgical coke

33,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From consumed natural gas

5.42 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From petroleum and other liquids

14.79 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Total emissions

20.243 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

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

Agriculture

144.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Energy

519.8 kt (2022-2024 est.)

Other

1.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Waste

138 kt (2019-2021 est.)

25.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

1 % of total land area

0 % of total

16.802 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

196 % of internal resources

Agricultural

14.67 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Industrial

615.4 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal

1.475 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal solid waste generated annually

4.5 million tons (2024 est.)

Percent of municipal solid waste recycled

2.5% (2010 est.)