Syria at its true size
Syria covers 185,180 km², number 87 of 194 countries by area. Home to 25,620,427 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 185,180 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 25,620,427 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 138 per km² |
| Capital | Damascus |
| Local time in Damascus | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Syrian pound (SYP) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +963 |
| Codes | SY · SYR · 760 |
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Where Syria ranks
Among the independent states, in 38 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#57 of 19426 million people#22 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#66 of 194138 people per km²#23 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#65 of 19272% urban#17 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#62 of 1922.70 births per woman#9 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#5 of 192+3.77% a year#5 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#57 of 19223.2 births per 1,000 people#7 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#173 of 1924.9 deaths per 1,000 people#34 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#76 of 19228.4% under 15#15 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#127 of 1924.8% aged 65 and over#33 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#3 of 192+16.5 per 1,000 people#2 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#2 of 190189.92 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#1 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#177 of 185$720 a person#44 of 45 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#152 of 184$4,905 a person#43 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#175 of 187−0.2% a year#41 of 45 in Asia
- Unemployment#18 of 17813.6% of the labour force#4 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#37 of 14918.0% under $3.00 a day#2 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#140 of 149a Gini index of 26.4#31 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#87 of 17816.3% of jobs#26 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#42 of 17825.2% of jobs#18 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#88 of 17858.5% of jobs#19 of 47 in Asia
- Exports#165 of 1686.8% of GDP#42 of 42 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#157 of 19171 subscriptions per 100 people#42 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#121 of 1851.27 tonnes a person#37 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#171 of 1923% forest#38 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#173 of 1901.1% renewable#35 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#139 of 19289.3% with electricity#43 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#42 of 19132.1 µg/m³#20 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#185 of 1910.7% of the land protected#47 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#41 of 19024.0% of the land arable#7 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#12 of 176124.4% of its available fresh water#9 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#157 of 180252 mm a year#33 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Syria’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Syria fit into…
- Russia: about 92 times
- Canada: about 54 times
- United States: about 53 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Syria shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Euphrates2,800 km
- Tigris1,850 km
- Jordan252 km
Summits
- Mount Hermon2,814 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Syria. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Syria
- How big is Syria?
- Syria covers 185,180 km², which makes it number 87 of 194 countries by area. About 25,620,427 people live there (2025), 138 per km².
- Is Syria bigger than Cambodia?
- Syria and Cambodia are almost exactly the same size. Syria: 185,180 km²; Cambodia: 181,035 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Syria?
- Syria lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Syria?
- Syria shares a land border with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon.