Due to the Syrian Civil War, the Syrian population decreased between 2011 and 2018 as over 5 million people sought refuge in other countries. Since 2018, the population has started to increase again and is expected to surpass 20 million again by the end of 2023. Syria’s population is expected to peak at 36.5 million people in 2087 and then start to slowly decline.
Syria grew 2.54% from 2019 to 2020, adding over 430,000 people to its population. This population growth rate is significantly higher than the year before, which was 0.74%. The fertility rate in Syria is currently 2.84 births per woman, which is lower than in recent years. This decreasing fertility rate trend is expected to continue and is expected to be between 1.4 births to 2 births per woman by 2025.
| Syria Population (as of 9/13/2024) | 24,877,331 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 24,672,760 |
| Births per Day | 1,565 |
| Deaths per Day | 333 |
| Migrations per Day | 1,496 |
| Net Change per Day | 2,728 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 701,096 |
Net increase of 1 person every 32 seconds
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 55 seconds | |
| One death every 4.32 minutes | |
| One immigrant every 58 seconds | |
| Net gain of one person every 32 seconds |
City | 2024 Population |
|---|---|
| Aleppo | 1,602,264 |
| Damascus | 1,569,394 |
| Homs | 775,404 |
| Hamah | 460,602 |
| Latakia | 340,181 |
| Deir ez-Zor | 242,565 |
| Ar Raqqah | 177,636 |
| Al Bab | 130,745 |
| Idlib | 128,840 |
| Douma | 111,864 |
Syria's population is comprised of many refugees from other countries. In 2012, it was estimated that 1.8 million refugees in the country were from Iraq, most of whom were displaced during the Iraq war. Syria has also been home to large groups of Palestinians [(560,000)](http://www.unrwa.org/syria-crisis#Syria-Crisis-and-Palestine-refugees) and Armenians (100,000.) Of course, that's now in the past, as Syria has been in a great deal of turmoil and its population is now tumbling out of control.
While Syria's population was currently around 18 million in 2018, this number is changing every day. The United Nations reports that 5,000 people flee Syria every day, and 28% of its population has now been driven from their homes. There are now 9 million Syrians who have fled, and 6.5 million who have been displaced but stay in the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (UNOCHA) states that an estimated 13.5 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian aid in 2016. There are now 4.5 million refugees from the country in nearby countries. 117,658 are in Egypt, 245,022 are in Iraq, 635,324 in Jordan, 1.1 million in Lebanon and 2.5 million in Turkey.
The Mediterranean Sea touches Syria on its Western border, and the country is otherwise touched by Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon. The country stretches across 71,498 square miles (185,180 square kilometers). Calculated with the 2019 population of 18,495,445, the population density of Syria is 259 people per square mile (100 people per square kilometer), making it the 86th most densely populated country in the world.
The largest city in Syria is not its capital Damascus, but Aleppo, which is situated in the North East of the country.
Aleppo's population was recorded at 2,132,100 in the 2004 Census, although it has dropped dramatically since, given the civil war and millions fleeing the country. As the country is embroiled in a war, updated estimates on city populations are unavailable or may be skewed due to the fluctuations caused by the chaos.
Damascus is the second largest city in Syria, with a population of 1,711,000 (estimate, 2009). It holds the record as the oldest continually inhabited city in the world; there is additional evidence of human habitation in Damascus dating back to 9,000 BC (however, historians have agreed that 2000 BC is the more likely time that Damascus was brought together into a single city from the smaller surrounding groups.
Syria is urbanizing rapidly. It is estimated that in 2010, 56% of the people in Syria lived in an urban environment, and this number is increasing by more than 2% per year.
Year | Population | Growth Rate | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24,672,760 | 3.92% | 134 | 57 | 90 |
| 2023 | 23,594,623 | 3.8% | 128 | 58 | 93 |
| 2020 | 21,049,429 | 3.42% | 115 | 61 | 97 |
| 2019 | 20,353,534 | 3.96% | 111 | 61 | 101 |
| 2018 | 19,577,845 | 1.84% | 107 | 62 | 104 |
| 2017 | 19,224,668 | 0.16% | 105 | 62 | 106 |
| 2015 | 19,424,618 | -2.88% | 106 | 60 | 101 |
| 2010 | 22,482,421 | 3.63% | 122 | 54 | 90 |
| 2005 | 18,814,091 | 2.49% | 102 | 58 | 101 |
| 2000 | 16,637,888 | 2.62% | 91 | 55 | 105 |
| 1995 | 14,616,801 | 3.05% | 80 | 57 | 111 |
| 1990 | 12,579,208 | 3.43% | 69 | 56 | 117 |
| 1985 | 10,625,672 | 3.47% | 58 | 57 | 119 |
| 1980 | 8,957,663 | 3.47% | 49 | 65 | 121 |
| 1975 | 7,554,364 | 3.44% | 41 | 69 | 124 |
| 1970 | 6,380,609 | 3.26% | 35 | 71 | 129 |
| 1965 | 5,435,267 | 3.07% | 30 | 74 | 129 |
| 1960 | 4,673,500 | 2.9% | 25 | 75 | 130 |
| 1955 | 4,050,589 | 2.32% | 22 | 78 | 130 |
Year | Population | Growth Rate | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24,672,760 | 3.92% | 134 | 57 | 90 |
| 2025 | 25,620,427 | 4.01% | 140 | 57 | 89 |
| 2030 | 29,395,540 | 2.79% | 160 | 54 | 83 |
| 2035 | 32,294,793 | 1.9% | 176 | 54 | 79 |
| 2040 | 34,533,185 | 1.35% | 188 | 54 | 77 |
| 2045 | 36,265,286 | 0.98% | 197 | 52 | 77 |
| 2050 | 37,793,372 | 0.83% | 206 | 54 | 75 |
| 2055 | 39,368,397 | 0.82% | 214 | 57 | 73 |
| 2060 | 40,823,977 | 0.73% | 222 | 56 | 70 |
| 2065 | 42,068,747 | 0.6% | 229 | 54 | 69 |
| 2070 | 42,982,251 | 0.43% | 234 | 54 | 67 |
| 2075 | 43,575,382 | 0.27% | 237 | 52 | 66 |
| 2080 | 43,889,937 | 0.14% | 239 | 52 | 66 |
| 2085 | 44,142,310 | 0.11% | 240 | 51 | 65 |
| 2090 | 44,123,099 | -0.01% | 240 | 52 | 65 |
| 2095 | 43,975,476 | -0.07% | 239 | 52 | 65 |
23.5
Total
23
Male
24
Female
There are people over age 18 in Syria.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 22 September 2004 |
| 1994 | 9 September 1994 |
Syria, a Middle Eastern country, has a population that's difficult to determine due to instability; the Syrian situation is among the largest humanitarian crises worldwide. Approximately 5,000 flee Syria every day. In 2012, the country had a population estimated at 22,530,746, and this number dropped to an estimated population of 22,457,336 as of September 2013. Just recently, Syria was considered a rapidly growing country in the area, growing over 2% in 2009.
Syria is a largely Islamic country; according to the latest data from 2007, 87% of the country's population was Muslim. Broken down, around 74% are Sunni and around 13% are Shia. There are approximately 2 million Alawi in Syria today, and representatives of this group dominate Syrian politics and the Syrian military. Syria's current President, Bashar al-Assad, is an Alawi Shia.
The largest ethnic group (approximately 90%) in Syria is Arab, mostly classified as Levantine. Other major groups in Syria are Kurds (2 million), Syrian Turkmen (0.75-1.5 million) and Assyrians (0.9 to 1.2 million).
The median age in Syria is currently at 24.3 years while life expectancy is approximately 75.1 years of age.
Although 80% Muslim, it is also home to one of the largest Christian populations in the Middle East. According to the latest estimates, approximately 12% of the city's inhabitants are Christian. The other two major religious groups in Syria are Christian (around 9% of the population) and Druze (3%).
In the World Happiness Report, Syria understandably ranks near the bottom of the chart in 2018, with a ranking of 150 out of 156 participating countries, with a rating of 3.46 in overall happiness on a scale of 0 to 10. Some contributing factors to this low rating include the low GDP per capita, the low social support, a lack of freedom to make choices, and of course the current instability considering the current situation.
Less than 10% of the population struggle with access to clean drinking water or improved sanitation facilities.
Literacy in Syria is only at 86.4% of the population over 15 years of age, with only 9 years expected to be dedicated to schooling.
Syria was run under the Ottoman empire for centuries until the French overthrew the during World War I. Under the French, there were brief periods of autonomy until Syria gained independence in 1946, and quickly after took part in the Arab-Israeli war for nearly 2 decades. In September of 1980, the Iran-Iraq war began and Syria sided with Iran. In the US war against Iraq, Syria sided with the US against Iraq against in tradition with the rivalry between Baathist leadership in Iraq and Syria. However, Syria's relationship with the US hasn't remained friendly since President Bush listed Syria as one of many countries that make up an "axis of evil," and Syria eventually ended up restoring diplomatic relations with Iraq.
The growth rate in Syria plummeted from around 3%, to under -3% around 2011 when Syria allegedly was running a covert nuclear program reactor program, which would violate peace treaties they were held under. President Assad showed began widely showing his capabilities of cruelty towards his own people around that time, killing many under the guise of restoring order. Internal conflicts became so dire, the millions of citizens sought refuge elsewhere, which was the cause of the dramatic decrease in population growth.