Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Lebanon fits inside Syria 18 times
Lebanon: 10,452 km² (2024) · Syria: 185,180 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Lebanon’s coastline is 17% longer than Syria’s
Lebanon: 225 km (2026 edition) · Syria: 193 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Lebanon’s highest peak towers 274 m above Syria’s
Lebanon: 3,088 m (2026 edition) · Syria: 2,814 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 74% of Syria, versus 64% of Lebanon
Lebanon: 63.7% (2024) · Syria: 74.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Syria has 4.4 times as many people as Lebanon
Lebanon: 5.85 million (2025) · Syria: 25.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Lebanon is 4.1 times as densely populated as Syria
Lebanon: 572 per km² (2025) · Syria: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Lebanon are 7.3 cm taller than in Syria
Lebanon: 179 cm (2019) · Syria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Lebanon are 4.3 cm taller than in Syria
Lebanon: 163.7 cm (2019) · Syria: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Lebanon is 6.1 years older than in Syria
Lebanon: 28.3 years (2023) · Syria: 22.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Syria have 0.5 more children on average than in Lebanon
Lebanon: 2.23 children per woman (2024) · Syria: 2.7 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Lebanon are 65 or older, versus 4.8% in Syria
Lebanon: 10.4% (2025) · Syria: 4.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Lebanon hosts 237 times as many refugees per resident as Syria
Lebanon: 91.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Syria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Lebanon has produced 1.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Syria none
Lebanon: 1.7 (2026) · Syria: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Lebanon has 2 official languages, Syria 1
Lebanon: 2 (2026) · Syria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Lebanon’s economy is 9% larger than Syria’s
Lebanon: $26 billion (2024) · Syria: $23.7 billion (2022)
How much is produced per person?
Lebanon produces 2.4 times as much per person as Syria
Lebanon: Int$11,918 (2024) · Syria: Int$4,905 (2022)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Lebanon than in Syria (Gini 9.1 points higher)
Lebanon: 35.5 (2022) · 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 5.8% in Lebanon
Lebanon: 5.8% (2022) · Syria: 18% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 14% in Syria, versus 11% in Lebanon
Lebanon: 11% (2023) · Syria: 13.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Lebanon: 2.5% (2025) · Syria: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Lebanon: 11.1% (2024) · Syria: no data
How expensive is it?
Lebanon’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Syria’s
Lebanon: 38% (2024) · Syria: 22% (2022)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Lebanon spends 7.8 times as much on health per person as Syria
Lebanon: $261 (2023) · Syria: $33 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Lebanon live 5.4 years longer than in Syria
Lebanon: 77.9 years (2024) · Syria: 72.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Syria is 16% more likely to die before turning one than in Lebanon
Lebanon: 15.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Syria: 17.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Lebanon has 76% more doctors per person than Syria
Lebanon: 2.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Syria: 1.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Lebanon has 91% more hospital beds per person than Syria
Lebanon: 2.7 per 1,000 (2021) · Syria: 1.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Syria is 17% higher than in Lebanon
Lebanon: 1.2 per 100k (2022) · Syria: 1.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Lebanon are obese, versus 30% in Syria
Lebanon: 31.5% (2024) · Syria: 29.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Lebanon: 46.9% (2024) · Syria: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Lebanon rate their lives 0.26 points higher than in Syria
Lebanon: 3.72 (2025) · Syria: 3.46 (2018)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Lebanon drink 18 times as much alcohol as in Syria
Lebanon: 2 litres (2023) · Syria: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Lebanon has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Syria
Lebanon: 38.2 kg (2023) · Syria: 16.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Lebanon has 568 kcal more food per person per day than Syria
Lebanon: 2,828 kcal (2023) · Syria: 2,259 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Lebanon put in 791 more hours a year than in Syria
Lebanon: 2,412 hours (2023) · Syria: 1,621 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Lebanon went to school 4.4 years longer than in Syria
Lebanon: 10.4 years (2023) · Syria: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Lebanon: 0.26 (2022) · Syria: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Lebanon has 1 more World Heritage site than Syria (7 against 6)
Lebanon: 7 (2026) · Syria: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Lebanon and Syria are practically level
Lebanon: 4 (2026 edition) · Syria: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Lebanon are online, versus 34% in Syria
Lebanon: 81% (2024) · Syria: 34% (2018)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Lebanon is 16% faster than in Syria
Lebanon: 38 Mbps (2026) · Syria: 33 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Lebanon have electricity, versus 89% in Syria
Lebanon: 100% (2024) · Syria: 89.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
91% of people in Lebanon live in cities, versus 72% in Syria
Lebanon: 91% (2025) · Syria: 72% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Lebanon has 74 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Syria 71
Lebanon: 74 (2022) · Syria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Syria’s railway network is 5.3 times as long as Lebanon’s
Lebanon: 401 km (2017) · Syria: 2,139 km (2010)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Lebanon fly 19 times as many passengers per resident as those from Syria
Lebanon: 0.46 (2023) · Syria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of Lebanon, but only 2.9% of Syria
Lebanon: 13.8% (2024) · Syria: 2.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Lebanon emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Syria
Lebanon: 2.7 t (2024) · Syria: 1.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
44% of Lebanon’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.5% in Syria
Lebanon: 43.8% (2024) · Syria: 3.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Syria carries 18% more fine dust than in Lebanon
Lebanon: 26.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Syria: 30.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Lebanon: 2.2 per 100k (2020) · Syria: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Syria are 4.5 times as deadly as in Lebanon
Lebanon: 10.8 per 100k (2023) · Syria: 48.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Syria is on average 3.5 °C warmer than Lebanon
Lebanon: 16.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Syria: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Lebanon gets 2.6 times as much rain as Syria
Lebanon: 570 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 Lebanon bigger than Syria?
Syria is larger. Lebanon fits inside Syria 18 times.
Which has more people, Lebanon or Syria?
Syria has 4.4 times as many people as Lebanon (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Lebanon or Syria?
People in Lebanon live 5.4 years longer than in Syria. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Lebanon and 72.6 in Syria.
Are people taller in Lebanon or Syria?
Men in Lebanon are 7.3 cm taller than in Syria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
