World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Syria is 66% bigger than the median country
Syria: 185,180 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 2.3 times as long as Syria’s
Syria: 193 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Syria’s highest peak towers 479 m above the median country’s
Syria: 2,814 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 74% of Syria, versus 38% of the median country
Syria: 74.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Syria has 3.5 times as many people as the median country
Syria: 25.6 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Syria is 42% more densely populated than the median country
Syria: 140 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 1.9 cm taller than in Syria
Syria: 171.6 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 1.2 cm taller than in Syria
Syria: 159.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 8.9 years older than in Syria
Syria: 22.2 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Syria have 0.8 more children on average than in the median country
Syria: 2.7 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 4.8% in Syria
Syria: 4.8% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 2.1 times as many refugees per resident as Syria
Syria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Syria and the median country are practically level
Syria: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Syria and the median country are practically level
Syria: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 92% larger than Syria’s
Syria: $23.7 billion (2022) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 4.3 times as much per person as Syria
Syria: Int$4,905 (2022) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Syria (Gini 8 points higher)
Syria: 26.4 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
18% of people in Syria live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Syria: 18% (2022) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 14% in Syria, versus 5.1% in the median country
Syria: 13.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Syria: no data · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Syria: no data · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Syria’s
Syria: 22% (2022) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 14 times as much on health per person as Syria
Syria: $33 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 2.1 years longer than in Syria
Syria: 72.6 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Syria is 40% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country
Syria: 17.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 10% more doctors per person than Syria
Syria: 1.5 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 69% more hospital beds per person than Syria
Syria: 1.4 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 7.1 times that in Syria
Syria: 1.4 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in Syria are obese, versus 24% in the median country
Syria: 29.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Syria: no data · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.37 points higher than in Syria
Syria: 3.46 (2018) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 40 times as much alcohol as in Syria
Syria: 0.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 3.5 times as much meat per person as Syria
Syria: 16.2 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 678 kcal more food per person per day than Syria
Syria: 2,259 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 354 more hours a year than in Syria
Syria: 1,621 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 4 years longer than in Syria
Syria: 5.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Syria: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Syria has 3 more World Heritage sites than the median country (6 against 3)
Syria: 6 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Syria and the median country are practically level
Syria: 4 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 34% in Syria
Syria: 34% (2018) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 4.9 times as fast as in Syria
Syria: 33 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 89% in Syria
Syria: 89.3% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
72% of people in Syria live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Syria: 72% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Syria 71
Syria: 71 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country and Syria are nearly identical here
Syria: 2,139 km (2010) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from Syria
Syria: 0.02 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 2.9% of Syria
Syria: 2.9% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Syria
Syria: 1.3 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.5% in Syria
Syria: 3.5% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Syria carries 86% more fine dust than in the median country
Syria: 30.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Syria: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Syria are 2.6 times as deadly as in the median country
Syria: 48.9 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Syria
Syria: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 4.7 times as much rain as Syria
Syria: 216 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Syria bigger than the median country?
Syria is larger. Syria is 66% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Syria or the median country?
Syria has 3.5 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Syria or the median country?
People in the median country live 2.1 years longer than in Syria. Life expectancy at birth is 72.6 years in Syria and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Syria or the median country?
Men in the median country are 1.9 cm taller than in Syria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
