Syria population: dynamics, current situation, religious preferences, language groups, impact of the civil war

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Back in 2011, the population of Syria exceeded 20 million people. Then there were many refugees from Palestine and Iraq in the country. The civil war forced the indigenous Syrians themselves to seek shelter in other states. In recent years, the population has decreased by several million people. The outflow of residents due to the civil war continues in 2016, albeit at a slower pace.

Syrian population dynamics

In 1950, 3.413 million people lived in the country. By the early 1970s, the population of Syria had almost doubled. During this period it was 6.379 million. Over the next twenty years, the population of Syria doubled again. In 1990 it reached 12.452 million people. The maximum population was recorded in Syria in 2010. At that time, 20.721 million people lived in the country. BehindIn subsequent years, this figure has decreased significantly. The cause of the demographic failure is the civil war. As of 2015, the population of Syria is 18,502 people.

Current situation

As of 2016, the population of Syria is 18.592 million people. This is only preliminary data. Experts say that the outflow of residents from the country continues. The population of Syria is 0.25% of the world population. In terms of population, the state ranks 61 among all countries and territories. The area of the republic is 70895 square meters.

Most of the Syrian population is urban. Rural residents, according to data for 2016, account for only 31.6% of the total. The population density is 101 people per square meter. The average age of Syrians is 21.2 years. The literacy rate for women is 73.6%, for men - 86%. Education in Syria is compulsory and free. However, only children between the ages of six and eleven are required to attend school.

Distribution

Most of the country's population lives in the province of Aleppo. It represents the territory of the Euphrates Valley - a piece of fertile land between the coastal mountains and the desert. About 60% of the total population of Syria lives in the province of Aleppo. The largest city is the capital Damascus. Almost two million people live in it.

The administrative-territorial division of Syria is represented by 14 governorates. They are sometimes also called provinces. Heads of data administrativeterritorial units are appointed by the Syrian Interior Minister after they have been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. Each governorate has its own elected parliament. The province of Quneitra has been annexed by Israel since 1981. Between it and Syria is a demilitarized zone, which is administered by the UN.

The second largest governorate in terms of population is Damascus. According to 2011 data, 2.836 million people live in it. The highest population density is observed in the capital - 14,864 people per square meter. More than one million live in governorates such as Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, Darya and Latakia. The smallest is the occupied Quneitra. According to 2011 data, only 90 thousand people live in it.

Religion

Syria has had several population censuses, the last one took place in 2004. However, since 1960 they have not included the question of religious beliefs. At that time, 91.2% of Syrians were Muslims, 7.8% were Christians, and 0.1% were Jews. Most of the population are representatives of the Sunni direction. Christians mostly live in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and other major cities. According to unofficial estimates, about 90% of Syrians are now Muslims. It is believed that their share is growing. This is due to the fact that the rate of emigration among representatives of other religions is traditionally higher.

Language groups

Most of the population speaks Arabic. He isthe official language of Syria. It is spoken by 85% of the population, which includes 500,000 Palestinians. Many educated Syrians also speak English and French.

Kurds make up about 9% of the population. They live in the northeast of the country and on the border with Turkey. They are the dominant group in the population of the Afrin region, which is located west of Aleppo, and speak Kurdish. Armenians and Turks use their native languages in everyday communication. A small part of the population speaks Neo-Aramaic. About 1,500 Greeks also live in Syria. They usually keep their native language in everyday communication.

The impact of the civil war

If we talk about how much the population is in Syria now, then we must definitely take into account the recent demographic failure. It is connected with the civil war that is going on in the country. Over the past five years, the population of Syria has decreased by five million people. Most of them emigrated to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Germany. Before the civil war, the life expectancy of Syrians at birth was about 75.9 years. However, this figure has now dropped significantly. Now life expectancy at birth is only 55.7 years.