Syria's estimated pre–Syrian Civil War 2011 population was 22 ±.5 million permanent inhabitants, which included 21,124,000 Syrians, as well as 1.3 million Iraqi refugees and over 500,000 Palestinian refugees. The war makes an accurate count of the Syrian population difficult, as the numbers of Syrian refugees, internally displaced Syrians and casualty numbers are in flux. The CIA World Factbook showed an estimated 20.4 m people as of July 2021. Of the pre-war population, six million are refugees outside the country, seven million are internally displaced and two million live in the Kurdish-ruled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Most modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history. But they are, in fact, genetically a blend of the various Semitic-speaking groups indigenous to the region. With around 10% of the population, Kurds are the second biggest ethnic group in Syria, followed by Turkmen.
Population
This data is from CIA World Factbook: In 2023, the Syrian population increased by 6.39%. This made Syria the country with the highest population growth. The birth rate was estimated at 22.19 births per 1000 people. The death rate is 4.07 deaths for 1000 people. The median age (estimated in 2020) for males is 23 years old, while for females, it is 24 years old. Overall, the Syrian median age is 23.5 years old. The migration rate is 45.78 migrants for 1,000 people.
In 1200, the territories of modern-day Syria had an estimated population of 2.7 million. This number sharply decreased due to the Plague epidemic in 1348–1353, which killed off an estimated third of the Levant's population. By 1937, the population reached an estimated 2,368,000, still considerably lower than 1200's estimated population.
Since 1960, censuses have been conducted in 1960, 1970, 1981, 1994, and 2004.
In 2017, the head of the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs, Mohammad Akram al-Qash, said that the Syrian population was 28 million, of which, 21 million were living in Syria and that 7 million were refugees. In 2018, the population was estimated to be 19,454,263 people. This data is from CIA World Factbook Ever since the Syrian Civil War, the population has been steadily declining, however rebounded in 2023, with an estimated population of 23,022,427 people.
Forced displacement
More than six million refugees left the country during the civil war, of whom over five million are registered as refugees by the UNHCR as of mid-2019. Most of them fled to neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, as well as European nations like Greece, Germany and Sweden. Since 2017, tens of thousands have returned.
The war resulted in large-scale displacement in the country. The UNHCR estimates internally displaced people (IDPs) at seven million. A further 70,000 people were trapped on the border with Jordan at Rukban in 2016–18, with up to 40,000 still there in 2019.
A significant part of the population lives in territory outside government sovereignty. At its peak in 2015, ISIL ruled over ten million people across Syria and Iraq. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), commonly referred to as Rojava, has a population of around two million. Areas controlled by the opposition have had a population in the millions. In mid-2017, UN OCHA estimated that around 540,000 persons were trapped in besieged areas as of June 2017, the majority besieged by government forces in Eastern Ghouta. By the time the government retook Ghouta in April 2018, some 140,000 individuals had fled their homes and up to 50,000 were evacuated to Idlib and Aleppo governorates. The latter rebel areas had an estimated population of 3 million (40% of them displaced from defeated rebel areas). Fighting in Idlib has led to further displacements, of up to 250,000 people, and generating new refugee outflows to neighbouring Turkey.
Displacement has led to demographic shifts. One example is the area in the North under control by Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Many human rights groups, including Amnesty International and international organizations have accused SDF forces of committing ethnic cleansing in Arab areas they were capturing from other war factions. The accusation was repeated on 8 May 2019 by Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. NGOs and the opposition have also accused the government of using the conflict to affect demographic restructuring.
Casualties of the civil war
In April 2016, the UN estimated that 400,000 people had died in the war, and casualties have continued since, with estimates for the total dead by mid-2019 of up to 220,000 civilians, 175,000 government combatants, and 174,000 anti-government combatants (see Casualties of the Syrian Civil War).
Age structure
(2011-07-01) (Estimates, including Palestinian refugees)Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 10,794,000 10,330,000 21,124,000 100 0–4 1,428,000 1,347,000 2,775,000 13.14 5–9 1,384,000 1,270,000 2,654,000 12.56 10–14 1,232,000 1,198,000 2,430,000 11.50 15–19 1,191,000 1,088,000 2,279,000 10.79 20–24 1,035,000 944,000 1,979,000 9.37 25–29 864,000 873,000 1,737,000 8.22 30–34 674,000 697,000 1,371,000 6.49 35–39 601,000 628,000 1,229,000 5.82 40–44 545,000 551,000 1,096,000 5.19 45–49 437,000 433,000 870,000 4.12 50–54 387,000 405,000 792,000 3.75 55–59 293,000 280,000 573,000 2.71 60–64 254,000 227,000 481,000 2.28 65+ 469,000 389,000 858,000 4.06Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 4,044,000 3,815,000 7,859,000 37.20 15–64 6,281,000 6,126,000 12,407,000 58.73 65+ 469,000 389,000 858,000 4.06
Population centers
60% of the population lives in the Aleppo Governorate, the Euphrates valley or along the coastal plain; a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Overall population density is about .
Urbanization This data is from CIA World Factbook: Urban population: 54.2% of total population (2018) Rate of urbanization: 1.43% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Major urban areas
As of 2018; this data is from CIA World Factbook: Damascus (capital): 2.32 million Aleppo: 1.754 million Homs: 1.295 million Hama: 894,000
Vital statistics
United Nations estimates Notable events Syrian demographics:
1982 – 1982 Hama massacre 2006-2008 – Iraqi civil war 2006 – 2006 Lebanon war 2011-2024 – Syrian civil war UN estimates:
PeriodPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeBirth rate (per 1000)Death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Crude migration rate (per 1000)Total Fertility rateInfant mortality (1000 births)Life expectancy (years)19503,544,000 167,000 92,000 75,00047.025.921.17.60179.644.141951 3,621,000 171,000 92,000 80,00047.325.422.0 -0.77.60177.544.451952 3,703,000 176,000 91,000 85,00047.624.723.0 -0.97.61173.344.991953 3,791,000 182,000 90,000 91,00047.923.924.0 -0.87.61169.145.701954 3,886,000 187,000 88,000 99,00048.022.625.5 -1.17.62160.246.971955 3,989,000 192,000 85,000 107,00048.221.326.8 -1.07.62151.748.311956 4,099,000 197,000 83,000 114,00048.020.327.7 -0.97.59143.949.391957 4,217,000 202,000 81,000 121,00047.819.128.7 -0,77.57136.650.581958 4,341,000 207,000 79,000 128,00047.618.229.4 -0.87.54129.951.571959 4,473,000 212,000 77,000 135,00047.317.230.1 -0.67.51123.752.611960 4,611,000 217,000 75,000 142,00047.016.330.7 -0.87.49118.053.551961 4,752,000 221,000 74,000 147,00046.515.531.0 -1.37.43113.054.441962 4,895,000 227,000 73,000 154,00046.414.831.5 -2.37.44108.455.091963 5,045,000 233,000 72,000 162,00046.214.232.0 -2.37.44104.255.781964 5,203,000 241,000 71,000 170,00046.213.632.6 -2.27.47100.356.501965 5,368,000 249,000 70,000 179,00046.313.133.3 -2.67.5196.557.111966 5,542,000 258,000 70,000 188,00046.512.633.8 -2.47.5592.757.601967 5,723,000 267,000 70,000 197,00046.612.234.4 -2.87.5888.958.101968 5,913,000 276,000 68,000 208,00046.611.535.1 -3.07.6085.059.071969 6,111,000 288,000 67,000 220,00047.011.036.0 -3.67.6781.159.881970 6,319,000 298,000 67,000 231,00047.110.536.5 -3.67.6977.260.531971 6,539,000 305,000 65,000 240,00046.710.036.7 -3.17.6573.561.371972 6,769,000 314,000 65,000 249,00046.39.636.7 -2.77.6170.161.901973 7,003,000 322,000 69,000 253,00045.99.836.1 -2.77.5666.960.691974 7,245,000 331,000 63,000 267,00045.68.736.9 -3.57.5163.863.121975 7,497,000 341,000 63,000 278,00045.48.437.0 -3.47.4760.963.541976 7,759,000 352,000 63,000 289,00045.38.137.2 -3.47.4458.063.921977 8,029,000 364,000 65,000 299,00045.28.137.2 -3.67.4155.263.761978 8,310,000 373,000 60,000 314,00044.87.237.7 -3.97.3552.465.811979 8,601,000 382,000 60,000 322,00044.36.937.4 -3.67.2749.766.141980 8,899,000 390,000 60,000 330,00043.86.737.1 -3.67.1647.266.351981 9,204,000 396,000 68,000 328,00043.07.435.6 -2.57.0147.064.371982 9,511,000 404,000 83,000 321,00042.48.733.7 -1.46.8848.661.121983 9,835,000 413,000 58,000 355,00041.95.936.0 -3.16.7440.367.831984 10,183,000 422,000 55,000 366,00041.45.435.9 -1.76.6138.368.921985 10,541,000 432,000 57,000 375,00041.05.435.5 -1.56.4836.668.761986 10,908,000 441,000 57,000 384,00040.45.235.2 -1.66.3335.069.211987 11,281,000 447,000 58,000 389,00039.65.134.5 -1.46.1333.569.301988 11,658,000 448,000 58,000 390,00038.44.933.4 -1.15.8932.369.671989 12,034,000 446,000 58,000 388,00037.14.932.2 -1.05.6331.169.761990 12,409,000 446,000 59,000 387,00035.94.831.1 -0.95.3829.969.821991 12,782,000 444,000 60,000 384,00034.74.730.0 -0.85.1228.870.041992 13,156 000 448,000 60,000 387,00034.04.629.4 -1.04.9527.770.261993 13,537,000 459,000 62,000 397,00033.94.629.3 -1.24.8326.570.191994 13,923,000 468,000 64,000 404,00033.64.629.0 -1.34.7225.470.141995 14,313,000 474,000 64,000 409,00033.14.528.6 -1.44.5724.270.421996 14,709,000 478,000 67,000 411,00032.54.528.0 -1.14.4323.170.351997 15,104,000 481,000 69,000 412,00031.84.527.3 -1.14.2822.070.281998 15,501,000 487,000 71,000 416,00031.44.626.8 -1.24.1821.070.201999 15,901,000 493,000 72,000 421,00031.04.526.5 -1.34.0820.170.432000 16,308,000 500,000 72,000 428,00030.64.426.2 -1.24.0019.370.762001 16,728,000 519,000 70,000 449,00031.04.226.8 -1.74.0118.671.642002 17,164,000 529,000 70,000 459,00030.84.126.7 -1.33.9518.071.942003 17,611,000 541,000 70,000 471,00030.74.026.7 -1.33.9017.472.412004 18,084,000 553,000 72,000 481,00030.64.026.6 -0.43.8617.072.482005 18,584,000 567,000 73,000 494,00030.53.926.6 0.33.8116.672.772006 19,432,000 579,000 72,000 507,00030.33.826.5 17.13.7616.373.352007 20,703,000 625,000 75,000 551,00030.83.727.1 34.33.7016.173.712008 21,474,000673,000 81,000592,00031.03.727.3 8.63.6116.073.552009 21,827,000 650,000 80,000 569,00029.73.726.1 -9.93.5115.973.852010 22,338,000 641,000 83,000 558,00028.73.725.0 -2.13.4015.973.882011 22,731,000 629,000 90,000 539,00027.53.923.6 -2.13.2816.473.312012 22,606,000 615,000 148,000 467,00026.66.420.2 -6.33.2223.066.772013 21,496,000 568,000173,000 394,00025.27.717.5 -25.73.1626.363.832014 20,072,000 465,000 168,000 297,00022.48.114.3 -69.13.1227.163.152015 19,205,000 397,000 143,000 254,00020.27.312.9 -85.23.0725.165.122016 18,964,000 359,000 133,000 226,00018.97.011.9 -24.63.0124.565.992017 18,983,000 355,000 115,000 240,00018.66.012.5 -11.52.9718.568.482018 19,333,000 346,000 106,000 240,00018.25.612.6 5.52.9318.670.152019 20,098,000 375,000 100,000 275,00018.95.013.9 24.22.8818.171.822020 20,773,000 406,000 103,000 303,00019.75.014.7 17.82.8418.172.142021 21,324,000 427,000 109,000 318,00021.25.115.0 10.82.8017.872.06202221.22.75202322.12.71202423.22.70202523.52.66
Fertility Rate Years 1925192619271928192919301931193219331934Total Fertility Rate in Syria6.856.876.886.896.906.926.936.946.966.97 Years 1935193619371938193919401941194219431944Total Fertility Rate in Syria6.987.007.017.027.037.057.067.077.097.10 Years 19451946194719481949Total Fertility Rate in Syria7.117.127.147.157.16