Lebanon vs. Syria
Demographics
| Lebanon | Syria | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,261,372 (July 2021 est.) | 20,384,316 (July 2021 est.) note: approximately 22,900 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2018) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.75% (male 581,015/female 554,175) 15-24 years: 14.98% (male 417,739/female 401,357) 25-54 years: 46.69% (male 1,296,250/female 1,257,273) 55-64 years: 9.62% (male 250,653/female 275,670) 65 years and over: 7.96% (male 187,001/female 248,479) (2020 est.) | 0-14 years: 33.47% (male 3,323,072/female 3,170,444) 15-24 years: 19.34% (male 1,872,903/female 1,879,564) 25-54 years: 37.31% (male 3,558,241/female 3,679,596) 55-64 years: 5.41% (male 516,209/female 534,189) 65 years and over: 4.46% (male 404,813/female 459,417) (2020 est.) |
| Median age | total: 33.7 years male: 33.1 years female: 34.4 years (2020 est.) | total: 23.5 years male: 23 years female: 24 years (2020 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.68% (2021 est.) | 5.32% NA (2021 est.) |
| Birth rate | 13.35 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 23.25 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Death rate | 5.57 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -0.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 34.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population NA (2021 est.) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.) | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 7.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.78 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) | total: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.53 years male: 77.12 years female: 80 years (2021 est.) | total population: 74.01 years male: 72.54 years female: 75.57 years (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.71 children born/woman (2021 est.) | 2.85 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | <.1% (2020 est.) | <.1% (2020) |
| Nationality | noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese | noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian |
| Ethnic groups | Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendants of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians | Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 2,700 (2020 est.) | <1,000 (2020) |
| Religions | Muslim 61.1% (30.6% Sunni, 30.5% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 33.7% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 5.2%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus (2018 est.) note: data represent the religious affiliation of the citizen population (data do not include Lebanon's sizable Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations); 18 religious sects recognized | Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3% note: the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | <100 (2020 est.) | <100 (2020) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian major-language sample(s): ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ????????? ???????? (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. | Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English major-language sample(s): ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ????????? ???????? (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.1% male: 96.9% female: 93.3% (2018) | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 91.7% female: 81% (2015) |
| Food insecurity | exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to the ongoing financial and economic crisis - in August 2020, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia estimated that more than 55% of the population lived in poverty, up from 28% in 2019; current figures are likely to be higher due to a fall in households' purchasing power; the already worrisome economic conditions, with increasing unemployment, poverty, and skyrocketing inflation rates, have further worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures introduced to contain the spread of the disease (2021) | exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to civil conflict and a stagnant economy - a nationwide food security assessment estimates that about 12.4 million people (60% of the overall population) are now food insecure in 2021, 5.4 million more than at the end of 2019, mostly due to constrained livelihood opportunities and a rapidly worsening economy; although some international food assistance is being provided, Syrian refugees are also pressuring host communities' resources in neighboring countries (2021) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2014) | total: 9 years male: 9 years female: 9 years (2013) |
| Education expenditures | 2.5% of GDP (2013) | NA |
| Urbanization | urban population: 89.1% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) | urban population: 56.1% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Drinking water source | improved: total: 100% of population unimproved: total: 0% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 99% of population rural: 99.3% of population total: 99.4% of population unimproved: urban: 1% of population rural: 0.7% of population total: 0.6% of population (2017 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: total: 99% of population unimproved: total: 1% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 99.6% of population rural: 98.6% of population total: 99.1% of population unimproved: urban: 0.4% of population rural: 1.4% of population total: 0.9% of population (2017 est.) |
| Major cities - population | 2.435 million BEIRUT (capital) (2021) | 2.440 million DAMASCUS (capital), 2.004 million Aleppo, 1.362 million Hims (Homs), 940,000 Hamah (2021) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 29 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) | 31 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Physicians density | 2.1 physicians/1,000 population (2018) | 1.29 physicians/1,000 population (2016) |
| Hospital bed density | 2.7 beds/1,000 population (2017) | 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 32% (2016) | 27.8% (2016) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 48.4 youth dependency ratio: 37.2 elderly dependency ratio: 11.2 potential support ratio: 8.9 (2020 est.) | total dependency ratio: 55.4 youth dependency ratio: 47.8 elderly dependency ratio: 7.6 potential support ratio: 13.2 (2020 est.) |
Source: CIA Factbook
