Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Cyprus fits inside Syria 20 times
Cyprus: 9,250 km² (2024) · Syria: 185,180 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Cyprus’ coastline is 3.4 times as long as Syria’s
Cyprus: 648 km (2026 edition) · Syria: 193 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Syria’s highest peak towers 863 m above Cyprus’
Cyprus: 1,951 m (2026 edition) · Syria: 2,814 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 74% of Syria, versus 14% of Cyprus
Cyprus: 13.6% (2024) · Syria: 74.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Syria has 19 times as many people as Cyprus
Cyprus: 1.37 million (2025) · Syria: 25.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Cyprus is 6% more densely populated than Syria
Cyprus: 148 per km² (2025) · Syria: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Cyprus are 1.1 cm taller than in Syria
Cyprus: 172.8 cm (2019) · Syria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Cyprus are 1.2 cm taller than in Syria
Cyprus: 160.6 cm (2019) · Syria: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Cyprus is 16 years older than in Syria
Cyprus: 37.8 years (2023) · Syria: 22.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Syria have 1.3 more children on average than in Cyprus
Cyprus: 1.38 children per woman (2024) · Syria: 2.7 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in Cyprus are 65 or older, versus 4.8% in Syria
Cyprus: 14.9% (2025) · Syria: 4.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Cyprus hosts 91 times as many refugees per resident as Syria
Cyprus: 35.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Syria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Cyprus has produced 7.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Syria none
Cyprus: 7.3 (2026) · Syria: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Cyprus has 2 official languages, Syria 1
Cyprus: 2 (2026) · Syria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Cyprus’ economy is 74% larger than Syria’s
Cyprus: $41.2 billion (2025) · Syria: $23.7 billion (2022)
How much is produced per person?
Cyprus produces 13 times as much per person as Syria
Cyprus: Int$64,575 (2025) · Syria: Int$4,905 (2022)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Cyprus than in Syria (Gini 5.4 points higher)
Cyprus: 31.8 (2023) · Syria: 26.4 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
18% of people in Syria live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Cyprus
Cyprus: 0% (2023) · Syria: 18% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 14% in Syria, versus 4.9% in Cyprus
Cyprus: 4.9% (2025) · Syria: 13.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Cyprus: 1.6% (2025) · Syria: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Cyprus: 23.9% (2024) · Syria: no data
How expensive is it?
Cyprus’ price level (US = 100) is 3× Syria’s
Cyprus: 65% (2025) · Syria: 22% (2022)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Cyprus spends 87 times as much on health per person as Syria
Cyprus: $2,899 (2023) · Syria: $33 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Cyprus live 9.3 years longer than in Syria
Cyprus: 81.8 years (2024) · Syria: 72.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Syria is 4.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Cyprus
Cyprus: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Syria: 17.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Cyprus has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Syria
Cyprus: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Syria: 1.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Cyprus has 50% more hospital beds per person than Syria
Cyprus: 2.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Syria: 1.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Cyprus is 2.7 times that in Syria
Cyprus: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Syria: 1.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in Syria are obese, versus 24% in Cyprus
Cyprus: 23.7% (2024) · Syria: 29.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Cyprus: 32.5% (2024) · Syria: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Cyprus rate their lives 2.66 points higher than in Syria
Cyprus: 6.13 (2025) · Syria: 3.46 (2018)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Cyprus drink 44 times as much alcohol as in Syria
Cyprus: 4.9 litres (2023) · Syria: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Cyprus has 4.8 times as much meat per person as Syria
Cyprus: 77.9 kg (2023) · Syria: 16.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Cyprus has 617 kcal more food per person per day than Syria
Cyprus: 2,876 kcal (2023) · Syria: 2,259 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Cyprus put in 219 more hours a year than in Syria
Cyprus: 1,840 hours (2023) · Syria: 1,621 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Cyprus went to school 6.6 years longer than in Syria
Cyprus: 12.6 years (2023) · Syria: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Cyprus: 2.97 (2024) · Syria: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Syria has 3 more World Heritage sites than Cyprus (6 against 3)
Cyprus: 3 (2026) · Syria: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Syria has won 4 Olympic medals, Cyprus 2
Cyprus: 2 (2026 edition) · Syria: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
90% of people in Cyprus are online, versus 34% in Syria
Cyprus: 90% (2024) · Syria: 34% (2018)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Cyprus is 7.6 times as fast as in Syria
Cyprus: 249 Mbps (2026) · Syria: 33 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Cyprus have electricity, versus 89% in Syria
Cyprus: 100% (2024) · Syria: 89.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
72% of people in Syria live in cities, versus 67% in Cyprus
Cyprus: 67% (2025) · Syria: 72% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Cyprus has 156 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Syria 71
Cyprus: 156 (2024) · Syria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Cyprus: no data · Syria: 2,139 km (2010)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Cyprus fly 22 times as many passengers per resident as those from Syria
Cyprus: 0.53 (2023) · Syria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of Cyprus, but only 2.9% of Syria
Cyprus: 18.6% (2024) · Syria: 2.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Cyprus emits 4.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Syria
Cyprus: 5.4 t (2024) · Syria: 1.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
28% of Cyprus’ electricity is renewable, versus 3.5% in Syria
Cyprus: 27.7% (2025) · Syria: 3.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Syria carries 86% more fine dust than in Cyprus
Cyprus: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Syria: 30.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Cyprus: 1 per 100k (2024) · Syria: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Syria are 8.6 times as deadly as in Cyprus
Cyprus: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Syria: 48.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Cyprus is on average 0.3 °C warmer than Syria
Cyprus: 20.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Syria: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Cyprus gets 73% more rain than Syria
Cyprus: 373 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Syria: 216 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Cyprus bigger than Syria?
Syria is larger. Cyprus fits inside Syria 20 times.
Which has more people, Cyprus or Syria?
Syria has 19 times as many people as Cyprus (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Cyprus or Syria?
People in Cyprus live 9.3 years longer than in Syria. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Cyprus and 72.6 in Syria.
Are people taller in Cyprus or Syria?
Men in Cyprus are 1.1 cm taller than in Syria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
