Syria

transitional presidential republic

name: Damascus geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the city has an ancient, pre-Semitic name of unknown origin

chief of state: Ahmad al-Shara'; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024 head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister most recent election date: 26 May 2021 election results: 2021: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 95.2%, Mahmoud Ahmad MAREI (Democratic Arab Socialist Union) 3.3%, other 1.5% 2014: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2%, other/invalid 3.8% expected date of next election: 2028

legislature name: People's Assembly (Majlis Al-Chaab) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 210 (140 indirectly elected; 70 appointed) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 10/5/2025 percentage of women in chamber: 9.6% expected date of next election: March 2030

highest court(s): Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military divisions, each with 3 judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members) judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice with 7 members, including the national president; judge tenure NA; Supreme Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC; judges serve 4-year renewable terms subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court

history: Syria's 2012 constitution was rescinded by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led government in January 2025; in March 2025, interim authorities announced a transitional constitution to remain in effect for up to five years

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, ICSID, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WBG, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

6.5% of GDP (2019 est.) 6.7% of GDP (2018 est.) 6.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 6.9% of GDP (2016 est.) 7.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

the interim government authorities in Syria have established a Ministry of Defense and are attempting to unify the dozens of armed factions operating in Syria under a single, state-linked army; it has also established a Ministry of Interior to manage police and other security forces (2025)

under Bashar al-ASAD, Syrian men aged 18-38 were required to serve 18-21 months in the military; conscription continued until ASAD's fall when the interim government announced that mandatory conscription to Syria s armed forces would be abolished and only be reinstated in extreme cases, such as national emergencies relating to war (2025)

as of September 2025, the government did not exercise control over all of Syria; areas of the northeast were under the control of ethnic Kurdish-led forces and areas south of the capital Damascus were controlled by members of the Druze religious minority; Turkish forces remained in parts of the north, while Israeli forces had moved into formerly demilitarized areas between Syria and Israel and into some Syrian territory near the frontier the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; UNDOF has about 1,300 personnel (2025)

$98.858 billion (2023 est.) $100.066 billion (2022 est.) $99.338 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$4,200 (2023 est.) $4,500 (2022 est.) $4,600 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-1.2% (2023 est.) 0.7% (2022 est.) 1.9% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

94.1% (2022 est.) 98.3% (2021 est.) 114.2% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

91.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

$1.609 billion (2022 est.) $2.227 billion (2021 est.) $1.649 billion (2020 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$6.803 billion (2022 est.) $6.56 billion (2021 est.) $3.751 billion (2020 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

13% (2024 est.) 13.2% (2023 est.) 13.3% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $1.162 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: $3.211 billion (2017 est.) note: government projections for FY2016

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, automobile assembly

wheat, barley, milk, sheep milk, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, maize, oranges, grapes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 24,261,882 (2025 est.) male: 12,183,128 female: 12,078,754

1.63% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 33% (male 4,037,493/female 3,828,777) 15-64 years: 62.8% (male 7,475,355/female 7,522,797) 65 years and over: 4.2% (2024 est.) (male 468,730/female 532,271)

21.26 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

3.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 74.8 years (2024 est.) male: 73.4 years female: 76.4 years

urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian)

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3% note: the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war

total population: 94.4% (2021 est.) male: 97.2% (2021 est.) female: 91.8% (2021 est.)

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Abdallah Azzam Brigades; Ansar al-Islam; Asa ib Ahl Al-Haq; Hizballah; Hurras al-Din; Islamic Jihad Union; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Kata'ib Hizballah; Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); al-Qa'ida; Palestine Liberation Front (PLF); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); PFLP-General Command (PLFP-GC) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

tier rating: Tier 3 Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Syria remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/

refugees: 16,402 (2024 est.) IDPs: 7,408,809 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 160,000 (2024 est.)

42 (2025)

total: 2,052 km (2014) standard gauge: 1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge

total: 24 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 13

total subscriptions: 17.6 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 71 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 35% (2019 est.)