Short facts about people of Syria

Population:

16,728,808 note:  in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years:  39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576) 15-64 years:  56.87% (male 4,868,816; female 4,644,870) 65 years and over:  3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.54% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

30.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

5.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth:  1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years:  1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years:  1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over:  0.95 male(s)/female total population:  1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:  68.77 years male:  67.63 years female:  69.98 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun:  Syrian(s) adjective:  Syrian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages:

Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Literacy:

definition:  age 15 and over can read and write total population:  70.8% male:  85.7% female:  55.8% (1997 est.)

Source: World Factbook