STATISTICS: SYRIA

Syria Official name: Al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah as-Suriyah (Syrian Arab Republic). Form of government: unitary multiparty{1} republic with one legislative house (People's Council ). Head of state and government: President. Capital: Damascus. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: none{2}. Monetary unit: 1 Syrian pound (LS) = 100 piastres; valuation (Aug. 21, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = LS c. 52; 1 = LS c. 89{3}. Demography Population (1998): 15,335,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 214.5, persons per sq km 82.8. Urban-rural (1995): urban 52.4%; rural 47.6%. Sex distribution (1995): male 50.71%; female 49.29%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 44.7%; 15-29, 28.2%; 30-44, 14.8%; 45-59, 7.3%; 60 and over, 5.0%. Population projection: (2000) 16,126,000; (2010) 20,468,000. Doubling time: 21 years. Ethnic composition (1992): Arab 90.0%; Kurdish 9.0%; other 1.0%. Religious affiliation (1992): Muslim 86.0%, of which Sunni 74.0%, 'Alawite (Shi'i) 12.0%; Christian 5.5%; Druze 3.0%; other 5.5%. Major cities (1994): Aleppo 1,591,400; Damascus 1,549,932; Homs 644,204; Latakia 306,535; Hamah 229,000. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1995): 40.0 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1995): 6.0 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1995): 34.0 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1995): 6.1. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1995){4}: 8.4. Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 68.4 years; female 71.3 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1989): n.a.; however, the leading causes of mortality among the total population were diseases of the circulatory system 39.6%, injuries and poisoning 9.1%, diseases of the nervous system 7.4%, diseases of the respiratory system 7.4%. National economy Budget (1995). Revenue: LS 125,718,000,000 (current revenues 81.3%, capital [development] revenues 18.7%). Expenditures: LS 162,040,000,000 (current expenditures 54.3%, capital [development] expenditures 45.7%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$16,698,000,000. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$16,808,000,000 (U.S.$1,160 per capita). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1997): wheat 4,300,000, barley 1,800,000, seed cotton 765,000, grapes 455,000, tomatoes 425,000, apples 240,000, eggplants 160,000; livestock (number of live animals) 13,609,000 sheep, 1,137,000 goats, 818,000 cattle; roundwood (1995) 54,600 cu m; fish catch (1994) 7,500. Mining and quarrying (1994): phosphate rock 1,600,000; gypsum 235,000; salt 130,000; marble blocks 18,000,000 cu m. Manufacturing (value of production in LS '000,000; 1994): food, beverages, and tobacco 48,395; textiles, wearing apparel, and leather 47,372; chemicals and chemical products 35,300; fabricated metal products 20,558; nonmetallic mineral products 13,750; wood and wood products 9,116. Construction (1993): residential 628,000 sq m; nonresidential 209,000 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 14,800,000,000 (14,800,000,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1996) 220,825,000 ( 85,450,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 11,438,000 (10,044,000); natural gas (cu m; 1994) 2,050,160,000 (2,050,160,000). Population economically active (1991); total 3,845,368; activity rate of total population 27.8% (participation rates: ages 15 and over, 49.0%; female 10.2%; unemployed 6.1%). Average household size (1986): 5.7; income per household: n.a.; sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1987){5}: food 58.8%, rent, fuel, and light 16.0%, clothing 7.5%, household goods 5.8%, transportation 2.4%, education and recreation 2.1%. Tourism (1995): receipts U.S.$1,325,000,000; expenditures U.S.$398,000,000. Land use (1994): steppe and pasture 45.2%; cultivable 30.1%; forested 2.6%; other 22.1%. Foreign trade{6} Imports (1994): LS 61,370,000,000 (machinery and equipment 25.2%, food and beverages 15.7%, transportation equipment 12.0%, iron and steel 10.8%, chemicals and chemical products 8.5%, textiles 6.9%). Major import sources: Japan 10.1%; Italy 8.7%; Germany 8.5%; United States 5.8%; France 5.0%. Exports (1994): LS 39,820,000,000 (crude petroleum and petroleum products 56.2%, fresh vegetables and fruits 10.7%, raw cotton 5.5%, textiles and fabrics 4.2%; live animals and meat 2.2%). Major export destinations: Italy 27.0%; France 12.4%; Lebanon 11.0%; Spain 6.8%; Saudi Arabia 5.5%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1996): route length 1,766 km; passenger-km 498,000,000{7}; metric ton-km cargo 1,285,000,000{7}. Roads (1995): total length 39,243 km (paved 71%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 229,084; trucks and buses 218,900. Air transport (1996): passenger-km 1,113,614,000; metric ton-km cargo 117,638,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 5. Education and health Educational attainment (1984). Percentage of population age 10 and over having: no schooling 20.1%; knowledge of reading and writing 26.3%; primary education 29.3%; secondary 18.4%; certificate 3.3%; higher 2.7%. Literacy (1995): percentage of population age 15 and over literate 70.8%; males literate 85.7%; females literate 55.8%. Health (1995): physicians 15,391 (1 per 953 persons); hospital beds 17,623 (1 per 832 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1994) 29.6. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 3,296 (vegetable products 90%, animal products 10%); 133% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1997): 320,000 (army 67.2%, navy 1.6%, air force 31.2%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1995): 7.2% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$236. {1} Parties ideologically compatible with the Ba'th Party. {2} Islam is required to be the religion of the head of state and is the basis of the legal system. {3} Black market rate. {4} Syrian Arabs only. {5} Weights of consumer price index components for Damascus only. {6} Import figures are c.i.f. {7} 1995.