Population: 16,728,808
note: in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576)
15-64 years: 56.87% (male 4,868,816; female 4,644,870)
65 years and over: 3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.54% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 30.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.77 years
male: 67.63 years
female: 69.98 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.8%
male: 85.7%
female: 55.8% (1997 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Syria on this page is re-published from the 2001 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Syria People 2001 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Syria People 2001 should be addressed to the CIA.