Cambodia vs Syria
Syria and Cambodia are almost exactly the same size.
CambodiaSyriaCambodia moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Cambodia is 0.98× the area of Syria. Put the other way, Syria is 1.02× the size of Cambodia.
 Cambodia |  Syria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 181,035 km²#88 of 194 | 185,180 km²#87 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSyria: 1.44× the population | 17,847,982#73 of 194 · 2025 | 25,620,427#57 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySyria: 1.4× the density | 99 / km²#91 of 194 | 138 / km²#66 of 194 |
| Urban populationSyria: 1.75× the urban share | 41%#147 of 192 · 2025 | 72%#65 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSyria: 1.06× the births per woman | 2.55 per woman#71 of 192 · 2024 | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSyria: 2.59 points higher | +1.18%#86 of 192 · 2025 | +3.77%#5 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSyria: 1.14× the birth rate | 20.3 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 | 23.2 per 1,000#57 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCambodia: 1.33× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Cambodia: 1.1 points higher | 29.5%#71 of 192 · 2025 | 28.4%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Cambodia: 1.6 points higher | 6.4%#110 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSyria: 18.3 per 1,000 higher | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | +16.5 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSyria: 301× the refugees for its size | 0.63 per 1,000#72 of 190 · 2025 | 189.92 per 1,000#2 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySyria: 1.8 years longer | 70.8 years#126 of 192 · 2024 | 72.6 years#108 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySyria: 1.08× the infant mortality | 16.4 per 1,000 births#75 of 191 · 2024 | 17.7 per 1,000 births#72 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSyria: 7.24× the doctors per person | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2019 | 1.52 per 1,000#94 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexCambodia: 0.042 higher | 0.606#148 of 190 · 2023 | 0.564#159 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCambodia: 3.82× the income per person | $2,750#141 of 185 · 2025 | $720#177 of 185 · 2022 |
| GDPCambodia: 2.16× the economy | $51.27B2025 | $23.74B2022 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Cambodia: 1.74× the output per person | $8,543#135 of 184 · 2025 | $4,905#152 of 184 · 2022 |
| GDP growthCambodia: 5.5 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | −0.2%#175 of 187 · 2022 |
| Inflation | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentSyria: 45.3× the unemployment | 0.3%#177 of 178 · 2025 | 13.6%#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 18.0%#37 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 26.4#140 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureCambodia: 17.1 points higher | 33.4% of jobs#53 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCambodia: 3.7 points higher | 28.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 25.2% of jobs#42 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSyria: 20.8 points higher | 37.7% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 | 58.5% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | 9.9% of GDP#18 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| ExportsCambodia: 61.8 points higher | 68.6% of GDP#26 of 168 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#165 of 168 · 2022 |
| Military spending | 1.4% of GDP#90 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 69%#122 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsCambodia: 1.63× the mobile subscriptions | 116 per 100#93 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCambodia: 13.0× the forest share | 38% of land#74 of 192 · 2024 | 3% of land#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSyria: 1.15× the CO₂ per person | 1.10 t a year#127 of 185 · 2024 | 1.27 t a year#121 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCambodia: 51.3 points higher | 52.4%#46 of 190 · 2021 | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCambodia: 9.9 points higher | 99.2%#110 of 192 · 2024 | 89.3%#139 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Syria: 1.65× the air pollution | 19.4 µg/m³#88 of 191 · 2023 | 32.1 µg/m³#42 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCambodia: 39.1 points higher | 39.8% of land#12 of 191 · 2025 | 0.7% of land#185 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSyria: 0.7 points higher | 23.3% of land#44 of 190 · 2024 | 24.0% of land#41 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSyria: 124× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 124.4%#12 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCambodia: 7.56× the rain and snow | 1,904 mm#37 of 180 · 2022 | 252 mm#157 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCambodia: 2.65 higher | +0.33#78 of 193 · 2025 | −2.32#191 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCambodia: 0.36 higher | −1.26#171 of 193 · 2025 | −1.62#190 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Military or transitionaltransitional presidential republic |
| Member of | ASEAN | — |
| Capital | Phnom Penh | Damascus |
| Currency | Riel (KHR) | Syrian pound (SYP) |
| Official languages | Khmer | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +855 | +963 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | Western Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cambodia sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Cambodia bigger than Syria?
- No. Cambodia and Syria are almost exactly the same size. Cambodia covers 181,035 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
- How many times does Cambodia fit into Syria?
- About 1.0 times: Syria has 1.02× the area of Cambodia.
- Why do Cambodia and Syria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cambodia is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Syria about 1.49×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Cambodia or Syria?
- Syria: 25,620,427 people against 17,847,982. Density: Cambodia 99 per km², Syria 138 per km².
- Which is richer, Cambodia or Syria?
- By gross national income per person, Cambodia: $2,750 against $720 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.82× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Cambodia or Syria?
- In Syria: life expectancy at birth is 72.6 years, against 70.8 — 1.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Cambodia and Syria have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Cambodia: constitutional monarchy; Syria: military or transitional.