Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Syria: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCD, ranked #185 of 195).
Syria is a transitional presidential republic in Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. The country's capital is Damascus; it covers 187,437 sq km. Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration). Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west. Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus. Population: 24.3 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +1.63% per year. Median age: 24.5 years. Life expectancy: 74.8 years (2024 est.). Languages: …
| Capital | Damascus |
|---|---|
| Population | 24,261,882 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $98.858 billion (2023 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $4,200 (2023 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -1.2% (2023 est.) |
| Inflation | 94.1% |
| Unemployment | 13.0% |
| Public debt | 91.3% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $1.609 billion (2022 est.) |
| Imports | $6.803 billion (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 74.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 24.5 |
| Urbanization | 57.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | transitional presidential republic |
| Independence | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English |
MCD · 34/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
Oil, Phosphates, Manganese, Iron ore, Marble, Gypsum, Hydropower.
Ahmad al-Sharaa — President. Ahmad al-Shara'; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024
Syria maintains 47 embassies and 3 consulates abroad. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 47 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 3 |
Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, January 2026 report (Zenodo).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 193 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 42 + 13 heliports (registration prefix YK) |
| Major seaports | Al Ladhiqiyah, Baniyas, Tartus |
| Railways | 2052 km |
| Pipelines | 3,170 km gas, 2029 km oil (2013) |
Aleppo International Airport (ALP) — Aleppo; Damascus International Airport (DAM) — Damascus; Latakia International Airport (LTK) — Latakia; Qamishli International Airport (KAC) — Qamishli.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MCD · 34 Ranked #185 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Syria.
