Polity · 1932 CE – 2024 CE
Republic of Syria
سوريا · الجمهورية العربية السورية · Komara Erebî ya Sûriyê
- Peak recorded area
- 187,701 km²
- 1961 CE
- Rulers on record
- 67
- from 1918 CE
- Data series
- 194
- 1932 CE–2024 CE
Overview
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
1 dated territorial extent on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 1 further extent, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
187,701 km² in 1961 CE(one extent on record — too few points to draw a series)
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before 2024 CE, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 33 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population39 obs · 1820 CE–1967 CE | 5.8Mpersons1967 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female26 obs · 1950 CE–1967 CE | 58.77years1967 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male26 obs · 1950 CE–1967 CE | 57.37years1967 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration26 obs · 1950 CE–1967 CE | -14.6Kpersons1967 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Urban Population20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 1.7Mpersons1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Infant Mortality Rate18 obs · 1950 CE–1967 CE | 81.33per 1000 live births1967 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 97 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP168 obs · 1800 CE–1967 CE | 2,600int'l $ (inflation adj.)1967 CE · Gapminder |
| Mineral Rents % GDP51 obs · 1970 CE–2020 CE | 0%2020 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Natural Gas Rents % GDP51 obs · 1970 CE–2020 CE | 2.33%2020 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Oil Rents % GDP51 obs · 1970 CE–2020 CE | 4.02%2020 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Total Natural Resource Rents % GDP51 obs · 1970 CE–2020 CE | 6.37%2020 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Coal Rents % GDP50 obs · 1971 CE–2020 CE | 0%2020 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Military
| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arms Imports Tiv Million72 obs · 1950 CE–2021 CE | 7tiv_million2021 CE · SIPRI Arms Transfers TIV |
| CINC Score20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 0.0014CINC (share of world capability)1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 83Kcoal-ton equivalents1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 0tons1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 95.8Mcurrent USD1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel20 obs · 1946 CE–1967 CE | 80Kpersons1967 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 25 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Gas Production68 obs · 1900 CE–1967 CE | 0TWh1967 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Oil Production68 obs · 1900 CE–1967 CE | 0TWh1967 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Water Stress Level %48 obs · 1975 CE–2022 CE | 124.36%2022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Electricity From Hydro %33 obs · 1990 CE–2022 CE | 3.76%2022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Electricity From Oil Gas %33 obs · 1990 CE–2022 CE | 57.32%2022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Electricity From Coal %32 obs · 1990 CE–2021 CE | 0%2021 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Governance
| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0.1index (0-1)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0.045index (0-1)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0.033index (0-1)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0RoW index (0-3)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0.337index (0-1)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity27 obs · 1961 CE–1967 CE | -7index (-10 to 10)1967 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 27 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index48 obs · 1918 CE–1967 CE | 0.165index (0-1)1967 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Basic Sanitation Access %25 obs · 2000 CE–2024 CE | 95.65%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Basic Water Access %25 obs · 2000 CE–2024 CE | 94.13%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Clean Fuel Access %24 obs · 2000 CE–2023 CE | 88.8%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Electricity Access %24 obs · 2000 CE–2023 CE | 88.4%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Electricity Access Rural %24 obs · 2000 CE–2023 CE | 72.8%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
67 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Rida al-RikabiPrime Minister of Syria1918 CE – 1920 CE
- Hashim al-AtassiPrime Minister of Syria1920 CE
- Suphi BereketPrime Minister of Syria1925 CE
- Haqqi al-AzmPrime Minister of Syria1932 CE – 1934 CE
- Taj al-Din al-HasaniPrime Minister of Syria1934 CE – 1936 CE
- Ata al-AyyubiPrime Minister of Syria1936 CE
- Jamil Mardam BeyPrime Minister of Syria1936 CE – 1939 CE
- Bahij al-KhatibPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1939 CE – 1941 CE
- Lutfi al-HaffarPrime Minister of Syria1939 CE
- Nasuhi al-BukhariPrime Minister of Syria1939 CE
- Hassan al-HakimPrime Minister of Syria1941 CE – 1942 CE
- Khalid al-AzmPrime Minister of Syria1941 CE
- Husni al-BaraziPrime Minister of Syria1942 CE – 1943 CE
- Saadallah al-JabiriPrime Minister of Syria1943 CE – 1944 CE
- Faris al-KhouryPrime Minister of Syria1944 CE – 1945 CE
- Shukri al-QuwatliPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1946 CE – 1949 CE
- Hashim al-AtassiPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1949 CE – 1951 CE
- Husni al-Za'imPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1949 CE
- Husni al-Za'imPrime Minister of Syria1949 CE
- Muhsin al-BaraziPrime Minister of Syria1949 CE
- Nazim al-KudsiPrime Minister of Syria1949 CE
- Sami al-HenaauiPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1949 CE
- Fawzi SeluPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1951 CE – 1953 CE
- Fawzi SeluPrime Minister of Syria1951 CE – 1953 CE
- Maamun al-Kuzbarilist of vice presidents of Syria1952 CE – 1954 CE
- Adib ShishakliPrime Minister of Syria1953 CE – 1954 CE
- Adib ShishakliPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1953 CE – 1954 CE
- Maamun al-KuzbariPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1954 CE
- Sabri al-AsaliPrime Minister of Syria1956 CE – 1958 CE
- Akram al-Hawranilist of vice presidents of Syria1958 CE – 1960 CE
- Nur al-Din KahalaPrime Minister of Syria1958 CE – 1960 CE
- Abdel Hamid al-SarrajPrime Minister of Syria1960 CE – 1961 CE
- Izzat al-NussPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1961 CE
- Izzat al-NussPrime Minister of Syria1961 CE
- Maamun al-KuzbariPrime Minister of Syria1961 CE
- Nazim al-KudsiPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1961 CE – 1963 CE
- Bashir al-AzmaPrime Minister of Syria1962 CE
- Amin al-HafezPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1963 CE – 1966 CE
- Luai al-AtassiPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1963 CE
- Muhammad Umranlist of vice presidents of Syria1963 CE – 1964 CE
- Sami al-JundiPrime Minister of Syria1963 CE
- Nureddin al-Atassilist of vice presidents of Syria1964 CE – 1965 CE
- Shibli al-Aysamilist of vice presidents of Syria1965 CE – 1966 CE
- Salah ad-Din al-BitarPrime Minister of Syria1966 CE
- Yusuf ZuayyinPrime Minister of Syria1966 CE – 1968 CE
- Nureddin al-AtassiPrime Minister of Syria1968 CE – 1970 CE
- Ahmad al-KhatibPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1970 CE – 1971 CE
- Hafez al-AssadPrime Minister of Syria1970 CE – 1971 CE
- Hafez al-AssadPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic1971 CE
- Mahmoud al-Ayyubilist of vice presidents of Syria1971 CE – 1976 CE
- Mahmoud al-AyyubiPrime Minister of Syria1972 CE – 1976 CE
- Abdul Rahman KhleifawiPrime Minister of Syria1976 CE – 1978 CE
- Muhammad Ali al-HalabiPrime Minister of Syria1978 CE – 1980 CE
- Abdul Rauf al-KasmPrime Minister of Syria1980 CE – 1987 CE
- Abd al-Halim Khaddamlist of vice presidents of Syria1984 CE – 2005 CE
- Zuhair Masharqalist of vice presidents of Syria1984 CE – 2005 CE
- Mahmoud ZuabiPrime Minister of Syria1987 CE – 2000 CE
- Abd al-Halim KhaddamPresident of the Syrian Arab Republic2000 CE
- Bashar al-AssadHead of State2000 CE – 2024 CE
- Muhammad Mustafa MeroPrime Minister of Syria2000 CE – 2003 CE
- Muhammad Naji al-OtariPrime Minister of Syria2003 CE – 2011 CE
- Farouk al-Sharaalist of vice presidents of Syria2006 CE – 2014 CE
- Najah al-Attarlist of vice presidents of Syria2006 CE – 2024 CE
- Adel SafarPrime Minister of Syria2011 CE – 2012 CE
- Omar Ibrahim GhalawanjiPrime Minister of Syria2012 CE
- Riyad Farid HijabPrime Minister of Syria2012 CE
- Wael al-HalqiPrime Minister of Syria2012 CE – 2016 CE
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Syrian pound (SYP)
Memberships
- 21-member Defense Pact (1950)Military alliance · member1961 CE –
- Egypt–Syria Defense Pact (1966)Military alliance · member1966 CE – 1967 CE
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI (2024). Arms Transfers Database (Trend-Indicator Values).
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of Syria is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.