Country page · Middle East & North Africa
If you were born in Syria
1 in 226 babies · 0.44% of births · about 593,420 a year
Right now, about 0.44% of the world's babies are born in Syria — 1 in 226, or roughly 593,420 a year and 1,626 a day. Life expectancy there is 72.6 years.
How the 1 in 226 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Syria has about 593,420 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.44% — 1 in 226. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Syria, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 74.9 · men 70.2 | 72.6 years | 96th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 18.4 / 1,000 | 1.8% | 100th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 17.7 / 1,000 | 1.8% | 104th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 20 | 69th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 2.70 | 115th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 9.2 years | 146th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 43.8% | 83rd highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $4,905 | 137th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 26.40 | 149th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 72.1% | 57th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 16.3% | 87th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 33.8% | 142nd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 2.1 | 72nd lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 72.4% | 164th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.10% | 109th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | — | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Syria compared with Middle East & North Africa
Life expectancy in Syria is 72.6 years, against a Middle East & North Africa average of 75.6. The under-5 death rate is 1.8%, versus 2.0% across the region. Income per person is $4,905, against $31,000 regionally; expected schooling is 9.2 years against 12.7. 72.1% of people live in cities, against 74.9% in the region.
| Indicator | Syria | Middle East & North Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 72.6 years old | 75.6 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $4,905 | $31,000 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 9.2 years | 12.7 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 72.1% | 74.9% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 72.6 years on average, with roughly 18.4 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 9.2 years of school, and income per person is around $4,905. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Syria
The game draws Syria in about 1 of every 226 births. From there the life runs year by year: 72.6 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.8% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $4,905 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Saudi Arabia — 1 in 220
- Chance of being born in Morocco — 1 in 213
- Chance of being born in Algeria — 1 in 150
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.